UAE oil pipeline project halfway complete

ADNOC’s new crude oil pipeline across the United Arab Emirates is about 50% complete and remains on track for a 2027 start-up, according to recent statements from the company and state-linked media. The project is designed to move more Emirati crude to Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman, avoiding the Strait of Hormuz, a route long seen as a strategic chokepoint for global energy flows. The story surfaced in social media posts on May 24, but the underlying details were already in circulation through comments by ADNOC Chief Executive Sultan Al Jaber and industry reporting earlier in the week. ### Which pipeline is this, exactly? Reuters reported on May 20 that the line is a new UAE crude pipeline bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, and quoted ADNOC CEO Sultan Al Jaber as saying it was “about 50% complete.” The report said the project was part of plans moved ahead in 2025 and tied the line to the UAE’s effort to preserve export routes outside the strait. (zawya.com) MEED reported on May 15 that the project is ADNOC’s west-east pipeline and said it is scheduled to be operational in 2027. MEED identified the route as a 520-kilometer pipeline from Jebel Dhanna in Abu Dhabi to Fujairah, giving the clearest public description of the line’s scale and endpoints. ### Why does Fujairah matter here? (zawya.com) ADNOC’s own pipeline materials say Fujairah gives the UAE direct access to the Arabian Sea for crude exports outside the Strait of Hormuz. The company says its existing Abu Dhabi crude pipeline is a key asset because it allows a significant share of UAE crude production to move from Abu Dhabi directly to the coast for export. (meed.com) The Abu Dhabi Media Office, cited by Zawya on May 16, said the UAE would accelerate construction of a new oil pipeline to double export capacity through Fujairah by 2027. WAM, the state news agency, separately reported on May 20 that ADNOC was “accelerating construction of a second pipeline” to double export capacity through Fujairah Port and bypass the Strait of Hormuz. (adnoc.ae) ### What do we know about timing and progress? May 20 is the key date attached to the 50% figure. Reuters attributed that milestone directly to Al Jaber, making it the clearest public progress update now available on the project. The 2027 completion target appears across multiple recent reports. (zawya.com) Reuters said the line was being advanced as part of the UAE’s effort to strengthen export resilience, while MEED and Zawya both tied the project to a 2027 operational goal. ### What is still unclear? (zawya.com) No recent public statement reviewed here names the construction contractor in the progress update itself. The social post that circulated on May 24 also did not identify a contractor or specify the emirate beyond the UAE. Public reporting does, however, place the project firmly in Abu Dhabi’s export system. (zawya.com) MEED said the line starts at Jebel Dhanna in Abu Dhabi and ends in Fujairah, while ADNOC and WAM have framed it as a second pipeline that would expand the country’s ability to move crude to Fujairah outside Hormuz. ### What should readers watch next? (zawya.com) The next concrete milestone is 2027, when ADNOC expects the west-east pipeline to enter service. Any further update is likely to come from ADNOC, WAM, or state-linked Abu Dhabi announcements, which have provided the most specific recent statements on progress, route and export-capacity plans. (meed.com)