94Ha ViewpointAccording to the latest EIA report, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have built some infrastructure to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Aramco operates the 5 million barrels per day East-West Crude Oil Pipeline, which stretches from the Abqaiq oil processing center near the Persian Gulf to the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea. In 2024, Saudi Arabia transported more crude oil through the East-West Crude Oil Pipeline to avoid shipping disruptions around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The UAE also operates a pipeline that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz, connecting onshore oil fields to the Fujairah export terminal in the Gulf of Oman, with a daily capacity of 1.5 million barrels. Meanwhile, in July 2021, Iran opened the Gorey-Jask pipeline, which is intended to transport crude oil to the Gulf of Oman. The pipeline currently transports about 350,000 barrels of crude oil per day – although there are reports that it is not yet fully operational.
The vulnerability of the Strait of Hormuz has prompted Gulf countries to vigorously develop alternative channels in recent years. The IEA estimates that these alternative routes can handle a total of about 3.5 million barrels of crude oil per day.
