Habshan-Fujairah pipeline
Abu Dhabi oil pipeline bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, capacity 750,000 barrels per day.
Last refreshed: 30 March 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
With Fujairah struck and Duqm damaged, has Iran closed every route out of the Gulf?
Latest on Habshan-Fujairah pipeline
- What is the Habshan-Fujairah pipeline?
- The Habshan-Fujairah pipeline is a 407-kilometre oil pipeline running from Habshan in the Abu Dhabi interior to Fujairah on the UAE's Gulf of Oman coast. Built 2008-2012 at a cost of $3.29 billion, it carries 750,000 barrels per day and was designed specifically to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.Source: ADNOC
- Was the Habshan-Fujairah pipeline attacked?
- The pipeline itself was not directly struck, but Iran attacked Fujairah port, the pipeline's terminal and exit point. The strike shut both the Strait of Hormuz sea lane and the overland bypass simultaneously, eliminating the UAE's redundant export route.Source: Lowdown
- Does the Habshan-Fujairah pipeline bypass the Strait of Hormuz?
- Yes. The pipeline's sole strategic purpose is to give Abu Dhabi crude an export route that avoids the Strait of Hormuz. However, the Fujairah terminal where it exits sits on the Gulf of Oman coast and is itself within Iranian strike range, as the 2026 conflict demonstrated.Source: Lowdown
- How does the Habshan-Fujairah pipeline compare to Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline?
- Both pipelines were built to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. The Habshan-Fujairah pipeline carries 750,000 barrels per day from Abu Dhabi to the Gulf of Oman. Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline (Petroline) has greater capacity but terminates at Yanbu on the Red Sea, also accessible by Iran's proxies.Source: Lowdown
- How did the Fujairah strike affect oil prices?
- Following the strike on Fujairah port that closed the pipeline's exit point, Brent Crude broke $100 per barrel on a closing basis for the first time since the Iran-conflict began, settling at $100.46 (+9.2% on the day), with WTI at $95.73.Source: IEA
Background
The pipeline was built between 2008 and 2012 at a cost of $3.29 billion by ADNOC, the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. Its sole strategic purpose was to give UAE crude an export route that sidestepped the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20% of global oil passes. At 407 kilometres, it runs from Habshan in the Abu Dhabi interior to the Fujairah terminal on the Gulf of Oman coast.
A strike on Fujairah port overnight closed the Gulf's last functioning energy exit route. The Habshan-Fujairah pipeline terminates at Fujairah, carrying 750,000 barrels per day overland from Abu Dhabi to the UAE's eastern coast; the attack shut both the sea lane and the overland bypass simultaneously. A second strike damaged a vessel 7 nautical miles off Fujairah days later, confirming the port's sustained exposure.
With Fujairah under attack and OOMCO's Duqm facility damaged in a separate strike, every Gulf export alternative to Hormuz was compromised within days. Brent Crude broke $100 per barrel for the first time since the war began, a direct consequence of the bypass routes closing. The pipeline illustrates a structural vulnerability: Hormuz alternatives route through coastal terminals that are themselves within Iranian strike range.
