---
title: "Archipelagic Sea Lanes Passage Definition | Model Diplomat"
description: "Archipelagic sea lanes passage allows ships and aircraft to transit through designated sea lanes in archipelagic waters, ensuring navigational freedom."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/archipelagic-sea-lanes-passage"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- Archipelagic sea lanes passage is the right of continuous, expeditious, and unobstructed transit by ships and aircraft of all states through sea lanes designated by an archipelagic state across its archipelagic waters.
- How does archipelagic sea lanes passage differ from innocent passage?
- What is the role of the IMO in designating archipelagic sea lanes?
- What happens if an archipelagic state does not designate sea lanes?
- Which UNCLOS articles govern archipelagic states and ASLP?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

Archipelagic sea lanes passage is the right of continuous, expeditious, and unobstructed transit by ships and aircraft of all states through sea lanes designated by an archipelagic state across its archipelagic waters.

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In 1998 the IMO's Maritime Safety Committee adopted Indonesia's three north–south archipelagic sea lanes — including the Lombok–Makassar corridor — as the first IMO-approved designation under UNCLOS Article 53.

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