Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline (ADCOP)
370 km pipeline from Abu Dhabi's interior to Fujairah, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.
Last refreshed: 8 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
How close is ADCOP to its capacity ceiling as Hormuz stays blocked?
Timeline for Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline (ADCOP)
Approached its 2 mbpd design ceiling as Fujairah throughput rose to 1.62 mbpd
Iran Conflict 2026: Fujairah hits 1.62 mbpd; ADCOP nears cap- What is the Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline and why does it matter now?
- ADCOP is a 370 km pipeline that takes Abu Dhabi crude to Fujairah on the Indian Ocean coast, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz. With Hormuz blocked in 2026, it became the primary alternative crude export route and is now running at 1.62 mbpd, close to its 2 mbpd design ceiling.
- How much capacity does ADCOP have left as Hormuz stays closed?
- ADCOP's design capacity is 2 mbpd; by late March 2026 it was handling 1.62 mbpd, leaving roughly 380,000 bpd of headroom. Real-world sustained throughput is estimated 200,000-300,000 bpd below the published design ceiling.Source: Lowdown
- Can Iran threaten the Abu Dhabi pipeline that bypasses Hormuz?
- The IRGC struck the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone on 4 May 2026 and claimed maritime control zones over UAE's eastern coastline on 5 May, directly threatening the Fujairah terminal that ADCOP flows into. Iran has signalled it views the bypass route as a legitimate target.Source: Lowdown
Background
The Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline (ADCOP) runs 370 kilometres from Habshan in Abu Dhabi's interior to the port of Fujairah on the UAE's eastern (Indian Ocean) coast, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz entirely. Commissioned in 2012 and operated by the Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Petroleum Operations (ADCO) on behalf of ADNOC, it has a design capacity of 2 million Barrels Per Day (mbpd). Its sole strategic purpose is to give Abu Dhabi an export route that does not depend on Hormuz passage.
Crude flow through Fujairah rose from 1.17 mbpd in February to 1.62 mbpd by late March 2026, a 38% increase that puts ADCOP within 380,000 bpd of its published design ceiling . Real-world throughput under sustained conflict-zone stress is likely 200,000 to 300,000 bpd below the design figure, meaning the effective margin may already be exhausted. The IRGC claimed maritime control zones over UAE's eastern coastline on 5 May and struck the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone on 4 May, signalling that Iran views the bypass route as a legitimate target. ADCOP is the only high-volume alternative to a blocked Hormuz; saturation is no longer a hypothetical ceiling.
