DUBAI: A new crude oil pipeline being developed by the United Arab Emirates to bypass the Strait of Hormuz is now 50 per cent complete, according to ADNOC CEO Sultan Al Jaber.
The project, launched last year, is designed to strengthen the UAE’s export resilience by reducing dependence on the strategically sensitive waterway, through which a significant portion of global oil and gas supplies traditionally pass.
Speaking at a live-streamed Atlantic Council event, Al Jaber said construction is being accelerated under directives from Abu Dhabi leadership.
“Today, it’s already almost 50% complete, and we are accelerating its delivery toward 2027,” he said.
The Abu Dhabi Media Office recently disclosed the project publicly for the first time, stating that the UAE aims to expand its export capacity via the port of Fujairah by 2027 through the West-East Pipeline project.
Officials said Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed has instructed ADNOC to fast-track the strategic infrastructure initiative.
Al Jaber noted that the pipeline reflects a long-term strategy to reduce global energy vulnerability linked to chokepoints such as the Strait of Hormuz.
“Right now, too much of the world’s energy still moves through too few choke points. That is exactly why the UAE made the decision more than a decade ago to invest in infrastructure that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.
The existing Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline (ADCOP), also known as the Habshan–Fujairah pipeline, currently has a capacity of up to 1.8 million barrels per day and has become a key export route through the Gulf of Oman.
Al Jaber also said some ADNOC facilities had recently been targeted and that damage assessments were still ongoing, adding that full operational recovery could take weeks in some cases and months in others.
By Reuters
