Is there an alternative route to Hormuz?

The future status of the Strait of Hormuz will directly affect the course, duration, and outcome of the war between the US‑Israel and Iran, and also has the potential to alter the route of energy supplies.

Because it is clear that a prolonged war or the closure of the Strait of Hormuz would cause problems in oil supply and demand security, and therefore major economic shocks in the global economy.

This situation makes it imperative to consider alternative routes for transporting oil and natural gas resources to international markets.

Moreover, these conditions will also push for a new architecture in global energy supply and demand security.

So, if the Strait of Hormuz is closed, is there an alternative route for the oil that needs to flow from this region to the world?

ALTERNATIVE ROUTES

Currently, there is a route in Saudi Arabia that transports oil via the East‑West Pipeline to the Yanbu Port on the Red Sea, and from there to the Red Sea.

On the other hand, there is another pipeline that transports oil from the United Arab Emirates to the Fujairah Port in the Gulf of Oman.

These two lines allow global energy shipments to continue uninterrupted without using the Strait of Hormuz.

However, only 10 percent of the 20 percent of oil transferred from the region to the world via these two lines (that is, only 2 million barrels out of the daily 20 million barrels) is transported without using the Strait of Hormuz.

Thus, it is clear that the insufficient capacity of these pipelines, new security issues that may arise in the region, and possible other disruptions mean these alternatives are not strong alternatives for global oil supply.

ALTERNATIVE COUNTRY: TÜRKİYE

One of the alternative routes that has come to the fore in recent days is the Kirkuk‑Ceyhan Pipeline, long considered a lifeline for energy supply security in the region by transporting oil from Iraq. This pipeline is also known as the Iraq‑Türkiye Crude Oil Pipeline (ITP).

This pipeline is the safest, most direct, and most strategic energy route for Iraqi oil, completely bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.

On the other hand, Caspian Sea oil is also delivered to Ceyhan without passing through Russian or Iranian territory.

Therefore, for transporting Gulf countries’ oil to world markets via the Mediterranean, the Ceyhan Port stands as the most reliable route.

Türkiye’s major energy projects implemented in recent years with the goal of becoming a central country in energy, along with the energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean and Türkiye’s geographical position, serve as an important reference for the new energy architecture.