KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s strategic location along two major global shipping lanes is bolstering its bid to become a regional hub for resolving international commercial and maritime disputes, says Chief Justice Tun Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh.
He noted that positioning between the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea gives the nation a unique advantage, where swift adjudication and specialised expertise are essential for time-sensitive cases.
He said that while Malaysia has long operated a specialised Admiralty Court, the creation of the International Commercial and Admiralty Division (ICAD) unifies admiralty and international commercial litigation under one bench.
Established at the High Court on March 2 this year, ICAD is set to boost investor confidence in Kuala Lumpur as a premier business and dispute resolution centre.
Wan Ahmad Farid said delays of even a few days in urgent admiralty cases could have significant commercial consequences, particularly when disputes involved vessels, cargo and parties across several jurisdictions.
“Applications for the arrest or release of vessels, the provision of security and other urgent matters require prompt attention, and a delay of even a few days can have significant commercial consequences,” he said in his keynote address at the inaugural ICAD Conference 2026 at the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) here yesterday.
Wan Ahmad Farid said maritime disputes were inherently international, often involving vessels registered in one country, owned by companies in another, financed by banks in a third and carrying cargo belonging to parties across several jurisdictions.
“A vessel may be registered in one jurisdiction, corporate-owned in a second, bank-financed in a third, chartered in a fourth, and carrying cargo belonging to entities across several more,” he said.
“The trade that passes through generates disputes over cargo, charterparties, finance, insurance, energy and infrastructure.”
Wan Ahmad Farid said ICAD aims to turn Malaysia’s geographical position into a jurisdictional advantage, ensuring disputes are adjudicated close to trade activity by judges versed in complex maritime and commercial law.
He said a premier dispute resolution forum was built on trust, which had to be earned over time, Bernama reported.
“It is earned when foreign investors know that if they bring a dispute to Malaysia, they will receive justice that is blind to nationality, deeply sophisticated in commercial logic and fiercely independent.
“Roads and ports carry goods. Certainty and trust carry confidence, and confidence carries capital. Let us build this infrastructure deliberately, protect it carefully, and offer it to the world with integrity,” he added.
