What is Hormuz's equivalent? 3 pipelines can help bypass the vital strait

As peace talks between United States and Iran broke down in Islamabad on Sunday, the future regarding the opening of the Strait of Hormuz remains more uncertain than ever.

Two days ago, delegations from US and Iran landed in Pakistan in the hopes to reach a consensus over the six-week war which has plunged West Asia in a state of crisis.

One of the main points of contention between the two nations was the opening of the Strait of Hormuz— a chokepoint that allows 20 per cent of world's maritime trade to pass through.

However, with the talks ending in stalemate, US military has threatened to impose a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas. This announcement propelled oil prices to spiral out of control, surging above $100 per barrel on Monday.

During the height of the war, Iran had announced that the strait was 'closed' and if any vessel tried to pass through they would 'set them ablaze'.

This closure has caused a worrisome situation in many countries, with leaders scrambling for solutions and simultaneously looking for alternative routes.

3 pipelines in West Asia have emerged as ray of hopes that will enable countries to quench their thirst for 'liquid gold'.

Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline

Also known as the Petroline, the East-West pipeline is operated by Saudi oil giant Aramco that runs from Abqaiq oil field in Saudi's eastern province to the Yanbu port on the Red Sea.

Constructed in 1981 during the Iran-Iraq War, it was a built after Saudi had to find a way to reroute its exports in order to bypass the Hormuz which was a hotspot for military attacks.

However, the 1,200km pipeline does not make up for the valuable strait. The pipeline has the capacity to transport up to 7 million bpd. On March 10, Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser announced the company was ramping Petroline to full capacity.

Kpler found Yanbu averaged 2.2 million barrels per day in the first nine days of March—more than double its pre-war rate.

Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline

In a bid to secure their oil supply and bypass the Strait of Hormuz, United Arab Emirates built Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline that starts from Habshan shore in Abu Dhabi to the port of Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman.

Also known as the Habshan-Fujairah pipeline, this 380km tube became operational in 2012 and was supported by its national oil company Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).

It has a transport capacity of around 1.5 to 1.8 million bpd and helps UAE in exporting a share of its production.

According to Kpler analyst Johannes Rauball,  oil exports from Fujairah do appear to have risen in the past month despite the closure of the strait.

Iraq-Turkey Crude Oil Pipeline

Also known as the Kirkuk-Ceyhan Pipeline, the Iraq-Turkey crude oil pipeline connects Kirkuk in Iraq to Turkish port of Ceyhan in the Mediterranean.

At the moment, the country has resumed limited oil exports of 250,000 bpd via the pipeline.

This resumption of oil exports from Kirkuk province began after agreement with the Kurdistan Region, through which the pipeline to Turkey's port of Ceyhan runs.

Can these pipelines provide a good alternative?

The short answer for this is No. Though pipelines have additional capacity to bypass the Strait, the logistics and supply chains needed to re-route and export substantial flows have not been tested. Moreover, their combined capacity is only about 9 million bpd, compared with about 20 million bpd for the strait.