UAE’s West–East oil pipeline about 50% complete as it aims to bypass the Strait of Hormuz

ADNOC Managing Director and Group CEO Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber said on May 20 that the UAE’s second oil pipeline to Fujairah is already 50% complete and is being accelerated toward a 2027 delivery date. The project is designed to move more Abu Dhabi crude to the Gulf of Oman without using the Strait of Hormuz, which Al Jaber described as an energy chokepoint. ADNOC said the new line will double export capacity through Fujairah Port once complete. The comments were published by ADNOC after Al Jaber spoke with the Atlantic Council in Washington. ### What exactly is the UAE building? ADNOC said the project is a second pipeline to Fujairah Port, adding to the UAE’s existing west-east crude export route. The company said the new line is part of a broader push to strengthen energy resilience and maintain exports outside the Strait of Hormuz. (adnoc.ae) Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline LLC, an ADNOC unit, already owns an approximately 406-kilometer pipeline from an ADNOC Onshore collection center in Abu Dhabi to the Fujairah oil export terminal, according to ADNOC’s website. That existing route gives the UAE direct access to international shipping lanes from the Arabian Sea rather than the Gulf. ### Why does Fujairah matter so much here? (adnoc.ae) Fujairah sits on the Gulf of Oman, outside the Strait of Hormuz, and ADNOC uses it as an export terminal for crude shipped to international markets. ADNOC said the second pipeline will “double export capacity through Fujairah Port,” making the emirate a larger outlet for barrels that do not need to transit the strait. (adnoc.ae) Sultan Al Jaber said the UAE had decided “more than a decade ago” to invest in infrastructure that bypasses the strait. He said, “Today it is already 50 percent complete, and we are accelerating delivery toward 2027.” ### When did this project start, and how far along is it? (adnoc.ae) Aletihad, citing Al Jaber, reported on May 20 that work on the second pipeline began in 2025. The same report said the line was 50% complete as of May 20. ADNOC’s own press release published the same day said the project was “already 50 percent complete.” (adnoc.ae) The 50% figure matters because the project had only recently been publicly described in official statements. ADNOC did not publish a route map, cost, pipe diameter or nameplate capacity for the new line in the material reviewed. ### Is the target date 2027 or next year? (en.aletihad.ae) ADNOC’s May 20 press release said the company is “accelerating delivery toward 2027.” Aletihad’s English-language report on the same remarks said the pipeline “will be operational by next year,” but also quoted Al Jaber saying ADNOC was accelerating delivery toward 2027. (adnoc.ae) On the official ADNOC version, 2027 is the clearest published target date. The available material does not explain the “next year” wording in Aletihad’s report, so the firmest verified timeline is that ADNOC is pushing the project toward 2027. ### What has ADNOC said about the reason for the buildout? (adnoc.ae) Sultan Al Jaber said on May 20 that “too much of the world’s energy still moves through too few chokepoints” and said that was why the UAE invested in bypass infrastructure. ADNOC framed the project as part of a resilience plan that also includes storage, pipelines and upstream capacity. (adnoc.ae) ADNOC also said it remains committed to a $150 billion five-year capital expenditure program. The company linked that spending to growth and global energy demand while presenting the Fujairah project as one element of that wider investment push. ADNOC said the next step is continued construction toward 2027, with the second pipeline intended to double export capacity through Fujairah Port once it enters service. (adnoc.ae)