Saudi oil giant considers an Oman corridor and expanded Red Sea capacity to bypass vulnerable shipping chokepoints.
Saudi Aramco is studying two additional crude oil export routes and a major expansion of its East–West pipeline as the world’s largest oil exporter seeks to reduce exposure to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb and Suez Canal.
Chief Executive Amin Nasser said on October 22 that engineering studies were underway to strengthen export flexibility, including potentially raising East–West pipeline capacity from 7 million to 10 million barrels per day. The existing network connects Saudi Arabia’s eastern oil fields with the Red Sea port of Yanbu.
One option under consideration is a pipeline to Oman’s Duqm port on the Arabian Sea, according to industry publications MEES and Energy Intelligence. The proposed 1,000–1,200-kilometre corridor could bypass both Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb, although its estimated $7 billion cost and challenging desert terrain present substantial obstacles.
The initiative follows September attacks on Saudi pipeline infrastructure and months of regional shipping disruption. Aramco is also exploring additional overseas crude storage to protect deliveries during future supply shocks.
For Egypt, the implications are significant. A direct Arabian Sea corridor could compete with some oil flows through the Suez Canal and SUMED pipeline, while increased Saudi capacity to Yanbu could strengthen crude shipments towards Egypt’s Mediterranean terminal at Sidi Kerir.
No final pipeline alignment, construction contract or commissioning timetable has been announced. The projects remain under evaluation.
Aramco’s strategy signals a broader shift in energy security: securing reliable export routes is becoming as important as maintaining production capacity.
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