UAE weighs disputed third crude pipeline to bypass Hormuz

By Daniel Okafor

ADNOC’s Habshan-to-Fujairah pipeline can carry about 2 million barrels a day, according to Bloomberg, giving the UAE a working export route to the Gulf of Oman that avoids the Strait of Hormuz.

What would a third line add?

On Wednesday, November 4, 2026, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that the UAE was considering a third crude pipeline. The proposed line could run from the country’s western coast to the eastern port of Fujairah and remain open to other companies.

ADNOC has discussed the concept with some Asian customers. The route and wider plans have not been finalized. The company then disputed the report.

Its spokesperson told Bloomberg: “We have advised Bloomberg that this report is not accurate and purely speculative.” The distinction is less subtle than the headline. The proposal remains reported speculation, not a company-announced project schedule.

Takeaway: The first line is operating. The third line is still a proposition with an official denial attached.

What is already moving?

The existing line carries crude from the Habshan fields in Abu Dhabi to Fujairah, where tankers can load without passing through Hormuz. Bloomberg said the route has helped the UAE maintain exports during disruptions to shipping through the strait.

That gives the country one operational bypass with about 2 million bpd of capacity. It is not a paper option, although the proposed third route would require a different grade of certainty.

Takeaway: Fujairah already provides a functioning export route around Hormuz, with about 2 million bpd of stated capacity.

What is under construction?

The second line, the West-East Pipeline, is already under construction. In May 2026, ADNOC said it expected the line to begin operating in 2027 and that the project would double export capacity through Fujairah.

Chief Executive Sultan Al Jaber said at the time that construction was 50% complete, or half-built. Those facts give West-East a construction milestone and a target year. The third proposal lacks both.

In October 2026, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that ADNOC had told some Asian refiners they could begin collecting crude delivered through West-East at Fujairah in early 2027. The report did not identify the refiners or state any contracted volume.

That would give Asian buyers a dated collection point for UAE barrels outside Hormuz. It also puts West-East ahead of the disputed third line in the export schedule.

Takeaway: West-East is the measurable 2027 project. The third pipeline remains undated and disputed.

How far does the UAE strategy extend?

Foreign Trade Minister Thani Al Zeyoudi said earlier in 2026, according to Bloomberg, that the UAE planned to expand at least three ports on its eastern coast. The country also planned to invest in rail links, road links and pipelines.

Taken together, the measures extend the UAE’s export strategy along the Gulf of Oman coast. They would add port capacity and improve rail and road links. The proposed third crude line fits that outline, but only as a reported possibility.

Kuwait sharpens the regional context. The country relies entirely on Hormuz for crude exports. Sheikh Nawaf Al-Sabah, chief executive of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, said Kuwait had held talks with the UAE and Saudi Arabia about alternative pipeline routes.

The talks broaden the subject from an ADNOC contingency to regional route planning. No joint pipeline or combined capacity has been announced.

Takeaway: Redundancy is the stated aim. Only the first two UAE lines have firm operational or construction milestones.

What should readers watch?

The firm checkpoint is West-East’s early-2027 startup. Watch whether Asian refiners collect crude at Fujairah then, and whether ADNOC confirms the schedule after reporting construction 50% complete in May.

A third line becomes concrete only after ADNOC fixes the route, capacity, customer access and start date. The current report supplies a concept, not a project timetable.

Watch item: Early 2027 is the date that carries operational weight, while any third line remains speculation until ADNOC fixes its route, capacity, customer access and start date.