UAE to Complete Second Oil Pipeline Bypassing Strait of Hormuz by 2027
The United Arab Emirates announced it will finish a new pipeline to the port of Fujairah by next year, doubling its overland crude export capacity to roughly 3.6 million barrels per day. The project, previously undisclosed, comes as a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz approaches its 11th week, disrupting 20% of global seaborne oil and gas flows.
The GuardianThe United Arab Emirates will complete construction of a second oil pipeline bypassing the Strait of Hormuz by 2027, according to disclosures by the state oil company ADNOC. The project, which had not been previously made public, is intended to increase the country's export capacity through the port of Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman.
The existing Habshan-Fujairah pipeline has a capacity of up to 1.8 million barrels per day. The exact capacity of the new line has not been disclosed.
Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan directed ADNOC to accelerate the project so that the pipeline can begin carrying oil by 2027. The decision follows the UAE's exit from OPEC after 60 years of membership. The Guardian reported that the new pipeline is expected to double the UAE’s export capacity via the existing Habshan-Fujairah pipeline.
ADNOC has not commented publicly on the precise reasons for the acceleration or on any specific link to current events in the Strait of Hormuz.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia are the only Gulf producers with pipelines that export crude outside the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Arabia can transport roughly 7 million barrels per day to its Red Sea port of Yanbu, with 5 million barrels exported. The original Habshan-Fujairah pipeline has been operational for more than a decade.
No publicly released timeline in the disclosures indicates when construction of the second line began or whether it represents an entirely new route or an expansion of existing infrastructure.
The development is part of a multi-year effort to expand export options. The UAE has relied on the overland pipeline route to maintain exports while tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has been disrupted. The sources do not specify the precise start date or duration of any current closure, nor do they attribute the acceleration order directly to tensions with Saudi Arabia over production quotas.
The UAE's foreign ministry has not commented on the project as of the dates covered in the reporting.
Key Facts
Story Timeline
4 events- May 15 2026
UAE announces second pipeline bypassing Strait of Hormuz to be completed by 2027.
2 sourcesThe Guardian · @JavierBlas - Apr 2026
UAE quits OPEC after 60 years of membership.
1 sourceThe Guardian - Feb 28 2026
U.S. and Israel launch attacks on Iran; Iran blocks Strait of Hormuz days later.
1 sourceThe Guardian - 2027
Target completion date for new UAE pipeline doubling export capacity.
2 sourcesThe Guardian · @JavierBlas
Potential Impact
- 01
UAE gains ability to increase oil exports independently of Strait of Hormuz reopening.
- 02
Saudi Arabia's overland export capacity of roughly 7 million b/d remains significantly larger.
- 03
Tensions between UAE and Saudi Arabia over OPEC production policy become more visible.
- 04
Global energy markets receive additional supply route security amid prolonged blockade.
- 05
UAE pipeline exports could approach levels closer to Saudi Arabia's Red Sea exports.
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