Fires reported at pumping stations along UAE’s ADCOP pipeline

Satellite imagery appears to show fires at two pumping stations along the UAE’s Habshan-Fujairah oil pipeline, a key export route designed to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, according to conflict monitoring outlet The Clash Report, which cited analysis from Soar Atlas.

The 380-km pipeline, which can carry between 1.5-1.8mn barrels per day (bpd) of Abu Dhabi crude directly to the Gulf of Oman, was built in 2012 to ensure exports could continue even if the strategic waterway were disrupted. The conduit is also known as the Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline (ADCOP).

The reported incidents come amid a broader escalation in attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure following Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz earlier this month. There has been no official confirmation from UAE authorities on the cause of the fires or whether the facilities were deliberately targeted.

Any disruption to the pipeline would be significant, as it represents one of the few major alternatives to shipping crude through Hormuz, a chokepoint that typically handles around 20% of global oil flows.

The apparent strikes form part of a wider spate of attacks on regional oil and gas assets by Iran. Earlier incidents this month include damage to the UAE’s Fujairah oil terminal, the destination point of the pipeline and one of the world’s largest oil storage hubs, as well as strikes on Qatar’s Ras Laffan liquefaction hub, which produces a fifth of the world’s LNG.

The targeting of bypass infrastructure suggests a shift towards undermining alternative export routes relied upon by Gulf producers and their allies, rather than focusing solely on the strait itself.

The UAE pipeline links the Habshan oilfields in Abu Dhabi to the port of Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman. Its capacity accounts for a substantial share of the UAE’s export capability.

Attention is also turning to Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline, which runs to the Red Sea port of Yanbu and represents another major bypass route. Any threat to that corridor, particularly if combined with disruption in the Bab al-Mandeb strait, could further constrain export options from the Gulf.