UAE plans second oil pipeline to bypass Strait of Hormuz
A vessel is seen anchoring off the coast of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on March 1. The United Arab Emirates is planning to fasttrack construction of a West-East pipeline that would bypass the Strait of Hormuz, opening in 2027. File Photo by Stringer/EPA
The United Arab Emirates is planning to fast-track construction of a west-east pipeline that would bypass the Strait of Hormuz, opening in 2027, officials announced Friday.
The pipeline is planned to double the UAE’s export capabilities, adding to what is transported through the Habshan-Fujairah pipeline that is already in place. Abu Dhabi’s crown prince, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyah, said Friday that construction on a second pipeline will accelerate to go online next year.
The new pipeline would connect from Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman.
The Habshan-Fujairah pipeline has allowed the UAE to continue exporting oil during the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has grinded much of the Middle East oil trade to a halt for more than two months.
The UAE produced about 3 million barrels of oil per day before the start of the Iran war. That volume has reduced to between 1.8 million to 2.1 million barrels per day.
The crown prince said the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company is “well positioned as a responsible and reliable global energy producer, with the operational flexibility to responsibly increase production to meet market needs when export constraints allow.”
The announcement follows the UAE’s departure from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, earlier this month.