In bid to bypass Hormuz chokepoint, Gulf countries scramble to ramp up infra

With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed to unauthorized vessels since March 2026, Gulf oil-producing nations are fast-tracking infrastructure projects —...

What Happened

With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed to unauthorized vessels since March 2026, Gulf oil-producing nations are fast-tracking infrastructure projects — pipelines, overland routes, and new port developments — to bypass the strait entirely.
Saudi Arabia is leveraging its East-West Pipeline (Petroline) to route crude to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, while the UAE is using its Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline (ADCOP) to Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman.
Gulf states are now reviving and accelerating long-discussed but perpetually delayed pipeline and port projects, including a proposed pipeline to Oman's Duqm port on the Arabian Sea (estimated cost: ~USD 10 billion).
Combined bypass capacity of existing pipelines is approximately 9 million barrels per day — less than half the normal Hormuz throughput of ~20 million bpd — leaving a massive gap.
The vulnerability of these land-based alternatives to Iranian missiles and drones (as demonstrated in the 2019 Houthi drone attacks on Saudi pipeline infrastructure) remains the central strategic constraint.

Static Topic Bridges

Strait of Hormuz — The World's Most Critical Energy Chokepoint

The Strait of Hormuz, located between Iran (north) and Oman's Musandam Peninsula (south), is approximately 54 km wide at its narrowest navigable point. It connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and onward to the Indian Ocean and global markets.

Approximately one-fifth of global seaborne oil (about 20 million barrels per day in pre-crisis conditions) transits the strait.
Alongside crude oil, the strait carries significant volumes of LNG (liquefied natural gas), LPG, petrochemicals, and dry bulk cargo.
The EIA (US Energy Information Administration) classifies the Strait of Hormuz as the world's most important oil chokepoint by volume.
Other notable global chokepoints include the Strait of Malacca (Southeast Asia), Suez Canal (Egypt), Bab-el-Mandeb (Yemen/Djibouti), and the Turkish Straits (Bosphorus and Dardanelles).
Unlike some chokepoints, the Strait of Hormuz has no adequate alternative for the volume it carries — making infrastructure bypass projects strategically urgent but structurally limited.

Connection to this news: The 2026 closure of the strait has transformed these long-theorized infrastructure bypass plans into operational necessities, revealing both the long-standing underinvestment in alternative routes and the physical limits of what can be rerouted overland.

Saudi Arabia's Petroline (East-West Crude Oil Pipeline)

Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline, also known as the Petroline or Petromin Pipeline, is one of the world's largest crude oil pipelines. It runs approximately 1,200 km from oil fields in the Eastern Province (near Abqaiq and Ras Tanura) westward to the Red Sea port of Yanbu.

Capacity: up to 7 million barrels per day — the largest pipeline bypass capacity of any Gulf state.
Construction: originally built in 1981, expanded over subsequent decades.
Yanbu is a major Red Sea industrial port, from which tankers can proceed via the Red Sea and Suez Canal or around the Cape of Good Hope to international markets without entering the Persian Gulf.
In 2019, Houthi drone and cruise missile strikes damaged Abqaiq processing facilities and a Petroline pumping station, temporarily disrupting 5% of global oil supply and exposing pipeline vulnerability.

Connection to this news: In the 2026 crisis, Saudi Arabia activated the Petroline as the primary bypass route, but its 7 million bpd capacity covers only about one-third of the kingdom's normal export volume through Hormuz, necessitating significant production curtailment or price-impacting supply gaps.

UAE's Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline (ADCOP) — The Fujairah Route

The Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline (ADCOP) runs approximately 400 km from Abu Dhabi's Habshan oil hub to the Fujairah terminal on the Gulf of Oman — bypassing the Strait of Hormuz entirely.

Capacity: approximately 1.8 million barrels per day.
Fujairah is located on the UAE's east coast, on the Gulf of Oman, providing direct access to the Indian Ocean without transiting Iranian-controlled waters.
The pipeline was strategically commissioned in 2012, following Iran's threats to close the Strait of Hormuz, reflecting long-standing UAE awareness of Hormuz vulnerability.
Fujairah is also a major maritime bunkering hub — the world's second-largest bunkering port by volume after Singapore.

Connection to this news: ADCOP is the UAE's primary activated bypass in the 2026 crisis. However, at 1.8 million bpd capacity, it covers only a fraction of the UAE's normal export volume, compounding the global supply shortfall.

Proposed New Infrastructure: Duqm Pipeline and Oman's Arabian Sea Access

Oman, which is not a member of OPEC and has a separate territorial coastline on both the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, is now central to proposed new bypass infrastructure.

Proposed Duqm Pipeline: A new approximately USD 10 billion pipeline is being discussed to connect Gulf crude production directly to Oman's Duqm port on the Arabian Sea — avoiding both the Strait and the Gulf of Oman's Hormuz-adjacent waters.
Duqm Special Economic Zone (DSEZ) has been developed with investments from India, China, and European nations as an industrial and port hub.
Iraq is also exploring pipeline routes via Jordan to the Red Sea port of Aqaba (the existing IPSA/strategic pipeline), which has been dormant since the 1990 Gulf War.
All proposed land pipelines remain within range of Iranian ballistic missiles (estimated range 1,000–2,000 km for medium-range Iranian missiles), creating a deterrence paradox: the more strategically significant the bypass becomes, the higher its target value.

Connection to this news: The Duqm route would be particularly significant for India, as it would allow Gulf crude to reach the Arabian Sea — and Indian ports — without dependence on Hormuz transit at all. India has invested in Duqm (Oman Special Economic Zone) and has a joint venture agreement for an integrated refinery complex there.

India's Stake in Hormuz Bypass Infrastructure

India has existing investments and strategic interests in the alternative corridors being considered by Gulf states, making the infrastructure race directly relevant to Indian energy security.

India and Oman signed agreements for joint industrial projects at Duqm SEZ; BPCL and OQ (Oman's state oil company) have a USD 6 billion integrated refinery and petrochemical complex project at Duqm.
Saudi Arabia's Yanbu is a significant supplier of refined products to India; the Red Sea route (via Suez or Cape) from Yanbu is longer but avoids Hormuz.
The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), announced at the G20 New Delhi Summit 2023, envisions sea-rail links from Indian ports to Gulf ports — but the planned Gulf hub ports are on the Arabian Gulf, still dependent on Hormuz-free routing for oil.
India's Energy Security Guidelines prioritize diversification of both sources and transit routes, making investment in Hormuz alternatives a strategic imperative.

Connection to this news: India is not a passive observer in the Hormuz bypass story — it has existing investments at Duqm (Oman) and Chabahar (Iran), and its energy security architecture benefits directly from any Gulf infrastructure that reduces Hormuz dependence.

Key Facts & Data

Normal Hormuz throughput: ~20 million barrels per day of crude oil and refined products.
Saudi East-West Pipeline (Petroline) capacity: up to 7 million bpd; route: Eastern Province to Yanbu (Red Sea), ~1,200 km.
UAE ADCOP capacity: 1.8 million bpd; route: Habshan to Fujairah (Gulf of Oman), ~400 km; commissioned 2012.
Combined existing bypass pipeline capacity: ~9 million bpd — approximately 45% of normal Hormuz throughput.
Proposed Duqm Pipeline (Oman): estimated cost ~USD 10 billion; would provide Arabian Sea access bypassing Hormuz entirely.
2019 Houthi drone strikes damaged Saudi Abqaiq facility and Petroline pumping station — demonstrating bypass infrastructure vulnerability to drone/missile attack.
Fujairah (UAE) is the world's second-largest maritime bunkering port after Singapore.
India-Oman Duqm investment: BPCL-OQ joint refinery/petrochemical complex (~USD 6 billion).
Other global oil chokepoints: Malacca Strait (~16–17 million bpd), Suez Canal (~10 million bpd), Bab-el-Mandeb (~7 million bpd).