&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "With Hormuz disrupted, what are the alternative routes for Middle East oil and gas exports—and are they enough?")
The disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has exposed the structural limits of global energy routing from the Middle East. As the world’s most critical oil chokepoint, any interruption immediately reverberates through supply chains. The International Energy Agency (IEA) described the current situation as “the largest supply disruption on record,” exceeding the combined impact of the 1970s oil shocks and post-Ukraine gas losses. The Strait’s instability, linked to the US–Israeli war with Iran, has revived scrutiny of alternative export corridors that remain fragmented and incomplete.
Geopolitical pressure and conflicting claims
The crisis has unfolded alongside heightened political exchanges. US President Donald Trump claimed on Truth Social that “Iran doesn’t want the Strait of Hormuz closed, they want it open so they can make $500 Million Dollars a day,” adding that “they merely want to ‘save face’.” He also stated, “People approached me four days ago… saying, ‘Sir, Iran wants to open up the Strait, immediately.’” These remarks underline how energy flows remain tightly bound to diplomatic signalling.
Existing bypass infrastructure
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East-West Pipeline (Saudi Arabia)
Saudi Arabia’s East–West pipeline is the region’s largest alternative, stretching 1,200 kilometres to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. It can move up to 7 million barrels per day, though effective exports are closer to 4.5 million bpd. From Yanbu, cargoes move via the Suez Canal or the Bab el-Mandeb strait, where Houthi attacks have raised persistent risk.
Habshan-Fujairah Pipeline (UAE)
The UAE’s Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline links Habshan to Fujairah in the Gulf of Oman, with capacity of 1.5–1.8 million bpd. However, 'oil loadings at Fujairah… have been affected by drone attacks since the Iran war started at the end of February,' according to Reuters.
Partial and emerging routes
Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline (Iraq-Turkey)
Iraq’s Kirkuk–Ceyhan pipeline has resumed flows after a 2½-year halt, reaching 170,000 bpd with plans for 250,000 bpd.
Goreh-Jask pipeline
Iran’s Goreh–Jask pipeline, designed for 1 million bpd, offers limited bypass potential, though the IEA notes the Jask terminal remains incomplete despite a 2024 test loading.
Long-term proposals and constraints
Proposed alternatives, including the Iraq–Oman pipeline to Duqm and the Iraq–Jordan pipeline to Aqaba, remain largely stalled despite being first conceived in the 1980s and approved in principle in 2022. Both continue to face major obstacles, including high costs, security concerns, and political uncertainty. Separately, plans for a Gulf–Sea of Oman canal bypassing the Strait of Hormuz remain purely theoretical, with estimates running into hundreds of billions of dollars and significant engineering difficulties, including the need to cut through the Hajar Mountains toward Fujairah.
Despite multiple corridors, no single alternative replicates Hormuz’s scale, leaving global energy security structurally exposed.
