ADNOC CEO says Hormuz bypass pipeline nearly 50% complete
UAE has been fast-tracking Fujairah export expansion as ADNOC targeted 2027 completion
Dubai: UAE’s new West-East oil pipeline designed to bypass the Strait of Hormuz is now nearly 50% complete, as the country pushes ahead with plans to strengthen energy export security.
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Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC Managing Director and Group CEO, said construction of the project was being accelerated towards a planned 2027 completion date.
“Today, it's already almost 50% complete, and we are accelerating its delivery toward 2027,” Al Jaber said during a live-streamed event hosted by the Atlantic Council on Wednesday.
Routes outside Hormuz
The pipeline forms part of the UAE’s long-term strategy to reduce reliance on the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil transit routes.
“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,” Al Jaber said.
The UAE has invested heavily in export infrastructure through Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman coast, allowing crude shipments to avoid the Strait OF Hormuz.
Fujairah export to double
The update comes after Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, last week directed ADNOC to fast-track the West-East Pipeline project during a meeting of the executive committee of the ADNOC board.
The new pipeline is expected to double ADNOC’s export capacity through Fujairah once operational in 2027. The existing Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline, also known as the Habshan-Fujairah pipeline, can currently transport up to 1.8 million barrels per day and has become increasingly important amid heightened regional tensions.
ADNOC still assessing damage
Al Jaber also said ADNOC was continuing to assess damage and costs linked to the recent conflict after some company facilities and infrastructure were directly hit.
He said restoring some operations could take weeks or months depending on the extent of the damage, while returning to pre-conflict flows would take at least four months.
