The Emirates accelerate a pipeline project to bypass the Strait of Hormuz

The United Arab Emirates will accelerate the construction of a new pipeline intended to double their export capacity via Fujairah by 2027, the Abu Dhabi Media Office announced. This project is expected to significantly strengthen the country's ability to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic maritime passage between Iran and Oman.

The initial project timeline has not been specified. However, the announcement comes amid a context of heightened regional tensions, as the Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed by Iran in response to an American-Israeli air and naval campaign launched on February 28. This closure has disrupted nearly one fifth of the world's oil supplies, which are usually shipped to Asia and other markets.

The Emirates already have the Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline, also known as the Habshan-Fujairah pipeline. This infrastructure can transport up to 1.8 million barrels per day and has proven crucial in allowing the country to maximize its direct exports from the coast of the Gulf of Oman, without passing through Hormuz.

With this new project, Abu Dhabi therefore seeks to further reduce its dependence on this vulnerable strait, which regularly lies at the heart of tensions between Iran, the Gulf monarchies, and Western powers. The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are the only Gulf producers with pipelines allowing them to export crude oil outside the Strait of Hormuz. Oman, for its part, benefits from a long coastline on the Gulf of Oman.

For the Emirates, the issue is at once energy-related, economic, and strategic: securing their exports, reassuring the markets, and preserving their role as a major supplier in an increasingly unstable regional environment.