UAE to accelerate oil pipeline project to bypass Strait of Hormuz

The crown prince of the UAE says the project would help ‘meet global demands’.The United Arab Emirates is fast-tracking the construction of a new pipeline, which will double the export capacity through Fujairah, a port city in the country’s east, as Gulf nations seek to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed announced the acceleration of the West-East Pipeline project to “meet global demands”, at an executive meeting held by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) on Friday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4UAE quits OPEC: What that means for the Gulf, energy markets and beyondlist 2 of 4Gulf nations are resuming strategic projects to mitigate regional dangerslist 3 of 4How Iran raised Hormuz stakes by capturing shipslist 4 of 4Saudi, UAE, Iraq: Can three pipelines help oil escape Strait of Hormuz?end of listThe pipeline should be operational by 2027, the government’s Abu Dhabi Media Office said.Sheikh Zayed said ADNOC 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 United States and Israel’s war on Iran shook global energy supply chains across the world.With the blockade on the Strait of Hormuz – through which previously about a fifth of the world’s oil passed – and Iran’s new maritime protocol in the waterway, as well as attacks on energy infrastructure, Gulf nations have been forced to find alternative trade routes to maintain oil and gas exports.Currently, the UAE has the Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline (ADCOP), a 380km (235-mile) pipeline which runs from Habshan, an oil and gasfield in the southwestern area of Abu Dhabi, to the port of Fujairah – which has come under attack recently.The pipeline, which started working in 2012, has the capacity of about 1.5 million barrels of oil per day (bpd). It is one of the key energy routes in the Middle East.