As geopolitical tensions keep the Strait of Hormuz in the headlines, the United Arab Emirates is moving swiftly to reduce its dependence on the waterway. According to Reuters, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed has ordered Abu Dhabi’s national oil company ADNOC to accelerate construction of the West-East pipeline, which would double export capacity through the port of Fujairah by 2027.
The pipeline is already under construction and expected to become operational next year. The move is a hedge against the ever-present risk of disruption in a strait through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil passes daily — a vulnerability that has only sharpened as Iran reasserts its claims over the waterway.
