DUBAI, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) said Wednesday that a new west-east oil pipeline project designed to bypass the Strait of Hormuz is nearly 50 percent complete, as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) accelerates efforts to strengthen energy export security amid regional tensions.
According to Gulf News, ADNOC CEO Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber said the project is being fast-tracked toward a planned completion date in 2027.
"Today, it's already almost 50 percent complete, and we are accelerating its delivery toward 2027," Al Jaber said during a live-streamed event hosted by the Atlantic Council.
The pipeline forms part of the UAE's long-term strategy to reduce reliance on the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical oil transit routes.
"Too much of the world's energy still moves through too few choke points," Al Jaber said, adding that the UAE had invested for more than a decade in infrastructure aimed at bypassing the strategic waterway.
The UAE has expanded export infrastructure through the emirate of Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman coast, allowing crude shipments to avoid the Strait of Hormuz.
Once operational in 2027, the new pipeline is expected to double ADNOC's export capacity through Fujairah. The existing Habshan-Fujairah pipeline currently transports up to 1.8 million barrels of crude oil per day.
Since Israel and the United States carried out joint strikes on Iran in February, Tehran has imposed strict restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation. ■
