Emerging Power Node

Strait of Hormuz

Strait of Hormuz, Persian Gulf

Mythic · held by 216 collectors

The Strait of Hormuz is 33 kilometres wide at its narrowest point and carries 21 million barrels of crude oil per day — approximately 20% of global oil supply, 30% of all seaborne crude, and 25% of global LNG exports. Every barrel exported from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Iraq, and Iran must pass through this strait unless routed through the partially operational East-West Pipeline. There is no credible bypass for the volumes involved: the Strait of Hormuz is the single most consequential energy chokepoint on Earth. Iran controls the northern shore; Oman controls the southern. The US Fifth Fleet is based in Bahrain specifically to deter closure. Options for rerouting in the event of closure are limited: the Saudi East-West Pipeline (maximum capacity 5 million barrels/day) and the UAE Habshan-Fujairah pipeline (1.5 million barrels/day) together handle less than a third of normal transit volume.

hormuz · strait · persian-gulf · oil