With more than 80,000 ships passing through the Straits of Malacca every year, it is vital that Malaysia and neighbouring countries band together to keep it safe and clean, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said on Monday (July 18) at a welcoming dinner of the 13th Co-operative Mechanism on The Safety of Navigation and Environmental Protection in The Straits of Malacca and Singapore.