Hormuz Is Blocked — Here Are the 4 Alternative Routes the World Is Scrambling to Use (And Why None of Them Are Enough)

# Hormuz Is Blocked — Here Are the 4 Alternative Routes the World Is Scrambling to Use (And Why None of Them Are Enough)

> **Quick answer:** Four main pipeline routes can bypass the Strait of Hormuz: Saudi Arabia's Petroline (5M bbl/day), the UAE's ADCOP pipeline (1.5M bbl/day), Iraq's Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline (1M bbl/day), and the risky Oman coastal route. Combined maximum capacity is roughly 7.5 million barrels per day — but Hormuz normally moves 20 million. That 12.5-million-barrel-per-day gap is why Brent crude is above $104 and why energy analysts are calling this the most severe oil supply shock since 1973.

The Strait of Hormuz handles roughly 20% of the entire world's oil supply. Right now, according to IEA data, only about 2 million barrels per day are getting through. Every energy trader, government, and refinery on the planet is asking the same question: where does the other 18 million barrels go? The answer is a collection of aging pipelines and high-risk shipping routes that, even at full capacity, cannot come close to filling the void.

Here is a clear-eyed look at each alternative route, what it can actually deliver, and why the math simply does not work.

## The Scale of the Problem: A 12.5-Million-Barrel Daily Hole

Before examining the alternatives, the numbers need to be understood in full.