Middle East states plan new logistics corridor to bypass Strait of Hormuz
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the UAE are leading efforts to establish a new trade network linking the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean. This initiative aims to reduce dependence on the Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz routes, which are currently impacted by conflicts. The proposed trade routes would involve moving goods from ports in the UAE and Oman via rail across Saudi Arabia to Jordan, then onward through Egypt's Suez Canal or Syrian ports like Latakia and Tartus. Analysts see this as a "structural shift" in Middle Eastern logistics, stepping away from the less stable Persian Gulf infrastructure. Robert Mogielnicki from PoliSphere Advisory notes that while some old infrastructure may still be used, these changes are likely to be long-lasting.
Key facts
- Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the UAE lead the push for a new trade architecture.
- The corridor links the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea with multiple nodes.
- Plans include overland oil and gas pipelines and new rail-sea transport corridors.
- The initiative responds to wartime disruption of maritime trade through the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea.
- Cargo would flow from UAE and Oman ports outside the Persian Gulf, via Saudi Arabia by rail to Jordan.
- From Jordan, routes go through Egypt's Suez Canal or Syrian ports of Latakia and Tartus.
- Analysts describe the shift as structural, moving away from Persian Gulf infrastructure.
- Robert Mogielnicki of PoliSphere Advisory commented on the persistence of structural shifts.
Entities
Institutions
- PoliSphere Advisory
Locations
- Saudi Arabia
- Turkey
- United Arab Emirates
- Indian Ocean
- Mediterranean Sea
- Strait of Hormuz
- Red Sea
- Persian Gulf
- Oman
- Jordan
- Egypt
- Suez Canal
- Syria
- Latakia
- Tartus
- Paris