The Minister of Foreign Trade of the United Arab Emirates, Thani al-Zeyoudi, said that his country is working on an “extremely ambitious plan“ to develop its logistics sector and reduce its dependence on the Strait of Hormuz to “zero”, the “National” reported.
A central pillar of the strategy is the expansion of the eastern ports of Dibba, Fujairah and Khor Fakkan, which are located along the Gulf of Oman, Zeyoudi told “Bloomberg”. The UAE is also planning to build at least one new port on its east coast, he added.
“We are aiming for zero dependence on the Strait of Hormuz, whether it is open or not“, Al Zeyoudi said. “It will open and we hope it will happen quickly, but we will not stop the new plan“.
In addition, the emirate will develop new pipelines, rail and road networks to improve connections between ports, oil and gas fields and the country's oil facilities.
In May, the UAE announced that it was accelerating the construction of a second pipeline to double crude oil exports from Fujairah. The new plans will be supported by “significant investment”, Al Zeyoudi noted. He said the UAE is also exploring other options to ensure steady exports of petrochemicals, liquefied natural gas and other energy products.
Al Zeyoudi did not provide information on the schedule or cost of the projects. "The direction is already there, we are doing all the feasibility studies to move forward. In these difficult times, you always identify your gaps and start working on them," he explained.
The strait has been a flashpoint in the war between the United States and Iran. Its closure has restricted the passage of about a fifth of the world's energy exports, which has raised concerns among countries in the region.
The UAE has shown resilience by implementing measures to limit the negative consequences of the conflict, the "National" newspaper reports. Last week, the rating agency “Moody” (Moody's) said that while oil production and export volumes from the Arab world's second-largest economy remain below pre-conflict levels due to the closure of the strait, higher crude prices - forecast to average between $90 and $110 in 2026 - will offset this decline.
The UAE's gross domestic product grew 6.2 percent year-on-year to 1.9 trillion dirhams ($517.2 billion) in 2025, thanks to a strong performance in the non-oil sector, government data showed last month.