Undang-Undang Laut Melaka (Malay for 'Maritime laws of Melaka', Jawi: ) was a legal code of Melaka Sultanate (1400–1511) that deals specifically on matters related to maritime laws and regulations, as well as nautical procedures concerning seafaring affairs of merchant vessels. It was composed by a group of Melakan shipowners, most of whom were Javanese in origin. The other important legal code of Melaka was the Undang-Undang Melaka ('laws of Melaka'), though it still contains certain provisions related to maritime laws, was sometime known as Undang-Undang Darat Melaka ('laws on the land of Melaka') instead. The clauses contained in the Undang-Undang Laut Melaka cover an extensive area, taking into account a wide variety of circumstances that could arise on a ship, with respect to social issues, such as slavery, adultery, murder, stealing, disrespecting an officer and negligence in carrying out duties; also, economic aspects such as tax and trade, including measurement of weight and area. The legal code also outlines a very well-structured organisation on ships, with titles of the officers are clearly specified complete with their responsibilities. In Melaka's court, matters related to the enforcement Undang-Undang Laut Melaka was placed under the authority of Laksamana ('admiral of the fleet').
History
The actual date when the legal code was drafted remains unknown. However, based on its manuscript, the promulgation of Undang-Undang Laut Melaka was the result of a meeting of a group of Melakan nakhodas (sea captain) during the reign of Muhammad Shah (1424–1444):
Content
According to Stamford Raffles, the clauses of Undang-Undang Laut Melaka which numbered up to 20, can be grouped into four distinctive chapters:
Chapter I
Authority of the code. Description of persons on board a vessel. Of the officers and crew, their authority, duties, and the nature of their engagements — explains the administrative structure or hierarchy of power on ship. A ship is like a state or a kingdom where the nakhoda (sea captain) is the king. This power hierarchy follows successively downwards which partly described as the following:
Another position which was just as important as that of the nakhoda was that of the malim (pilot). It is rather difficult to find a comparative designation on the land, because most of his functions were maritime related. The position of malim is often compared to that of an imam (leader of prayer group) on a ship due to his sailing skills. He was the one who decides when to set sail because he is knowledgeable about the prevailing winds, storm prediction and waves, sandbanks and corals. Clearly, the malim was the first person to give advice to the nakhoda about each voyage. The function of the juru mudi, who was the nakhoda's closest aide, was comparable to that of the bendahara ('prime minister'). The juru batu is said to have been the same status as the temenggung ('chief of public security'), this means that his role was to keep the peace on the ship and act as a judge in any dispute. This corresponds to an excerpt of Undang-Undang Laut Melaka, "….to decide right and wrong". Undang-Undang Laut Melaka gives an example, a crewman (awak-awak) who refused to follow the orders of the tukang agong was punished by the juru batu by canning of up to seven strokes. Among other provisions in the clause are: