From Syria to UAE, the race to bypass Strait of Hormuz is on

From Syria to UAE, the race to bypass Strait of Hormuz is on

The Middle East is entering a pipeline-building boom from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Oman, as Arab oil producers rush to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran is fighting to exert its dominance over global energy flows.

Tens of billions of dollars will be spent in the coming years to bypass the chokepoint where the US and Iran are battling for control, experts say. And while the Middle East has a recent history of grandiose infrastructure projects that fizzle out, this time the commitments to rewire the flow of oil are real.

“When we speak to our customers in the region, they say they never want to deal with this again,” Artem Abramov, the deputy head of analysis at Rystad Energy, told Middle East Eye.

Read more: From Syria to UAE, the race to bypass Strait of Hormuz is on

A handout picture provided by energy giant Saudi Aramco shows one of its engineers at Yanbu refinery in Saudi Arabia's Medina province, on 16 January 2011 (Joe Lynch/Saudi Aramco/AFP) ...