Abu Dhabi, May 16: The United Arab Emirates has decided to construct a new west-east oil pipeline through Fujairah aimed at bypassing the strategically sensitive Strait of Hormuz, a move expected to significantly boost the country’s export security and oil transport capacity.
According to the Abu Dhabi Media Office, the new pipeline is expected to be completed by 2027 and will help the UAE double its oil export capacity.
The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and attended by senior officials, including the chairman and board members of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, at the company’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi.
During the meeting, the Crown Prince directed ADNOC to fast-track the implementation of the pipeline project amid growing regional energy security concerns.
The proposed pipeline will run overland for around 420 kilometres from the Habshan oil fields in Abu Dhabi to Fujairah Port on the Gulf of Oman, allowing exports to bypass the Strait of Hormuz entirely.
The UAE already operates the Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline (ADCOP), also known as the Habshan-Fujairah pipeline, which can transport up to 1.8 million barrels of crude oil per day and has become increasingly important for direct exports from the Gulf of Oman coast.
Currently, the UAE and Saudi Arabia are the only Gulf oil producers with pipeline infrastructure capable of exporting crude oil outside the Strait of Hormuz, while Oman benefits from a long coastline along the Gulf of Oman.
The move comes amid continuing tensions in the Gulf region after Iran effectively restricted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz in response to the recent US-Israeli military campaign that began on February 28, disrupting nearly one-fifth of global oil supplies flowing to Asia and other regions.
Other Gulf nations including Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar and Bahrain remain heavily dependent on the Strait of Hormuz for crude oil exports.
