The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (itlos) at Hamburg, Germany, has directed Singapore not to carry out land reclamation work in a way that is damaging to the marine environment, or to Malaysian interests. The court, however, rejected Malaysia's plea seeking a complete suspension of the activity in the Straits of Johor.

The issue has sparked a major row between the two countries. Malaysia contends that Singapore's unilateral reclamation activities along the straits that the two countries share would be ruinous due to its prospects of becoming a regional shipping hub, with a narrowed sea lane obstructing vessels headed for ports in the southernmost Johor state. The country has also been pointing to the harm that the reclamation work