Understanding the World’s Energy Lifeline in One Article

2026-06-05

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Source: China Petrochemical News

News of escalating tensions and disruptions to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz—the “world’s oil valve”—continuously sends shockwaves through the global community, compelling nations to reassess the security of their energy transit routes. Whether it be oil and gas pipelines or critical maritime shipping lanes, these are vital energy arteries whose configuration and security directly shape the foundations of each country’s energy supply.

The global flow of energy across regions relies on the coordinated support of two major arteries: first, onshore oil and gas pipelines, which serve as the “ballast” of regional energy supply. They offer high efficiency and stability, significant cost advantages, and far greater resilience to geopolitical disruptions than maritime transport. In the United States, nearly 70% of oil shipments are carried by pipeline; in China, pipeline‑based crude oil transport costs only one-fifth of road transport; and Australia has even built a self‑contained natural gas network anchored to its resource endowments. Second, there are the maritime energy chokepoints that connect the world’s oceans. The vast majority of global seaborne oil and gas trade passes through a handful of critical routes, such as the Strait of Hormuz and the Strait of Malacca. Should any of these passages become blocked, the resulting disruption would swiftly ripple through supply chains worldwide.

The current international landscape is highly volatile, and securing control over the world’s major energy arteries has become a top priority for nations seeking to ensure energy security. This issue of the journal focuses on the globe’s key oil and gas pipelines, emerging projects, and maritime energy corridors, analyzing the operational dynamics and resilience of these critical global energy infrastructure networks.

The text in this edition was provided by Lu Xuemei of the Petroleum Exploration and Development Research Institute of Sinopec.

The World’s Twelve Major Oil and Gas Transportation Pipelines

At present, there are 12 major oil and gas pipelines of significant geopolitical and economic importance worldwide, namely the Druzhba Pipeline, the East Siberia–Pacific Ocean Pipeline, the Nord Stream Natural Gas Pipeline, the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan Pipeline, the Keystone Pipeline, the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline, the Iraq–Turkey Oil Pipeline, the Trans Mountain Pipeline, the China–Kazakhstan Crude Oil Pipeline, the China–Myanmar Oil and Gas Pipeline, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, and the Saudi East–West Pipeline.

• The Druzhba oil pipeline from Russia to Central Europe

This pipeline is one of the world’s largest and most geopolitically significant crude‑oil transport corridors, with a total length of 9,739 kilometers. Construction was carried out in two phases: Phase I, completed in 1964, begins in Samara Oblast, passes through Belarus, and extends to Germany and Poland, spanning approximately 4,000 kilometers; known as the Northern Route, it can transport 1.2 to 1.4 million barrels per day and comprises 44 pumping stations that support its transportation network. Phase II, finished in 1972, traverses Ukraine and connects to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary, with an annual throughput capacity of 100 million tons. Affected by geopolitical tensions, physical sabotage, and commercial adjustments, several branches of the pipeline have been repeatedly shut down, rerouted, or mothballed.

• East Siberia–Pacific Ocean (ESPO) Oil Pipeline

The pipeline primarily transports Russian crude oil from eastern Siberia to the Asia-Pacific market, stretching approximately 4,000 kilometers from Taishet in the west to Kozmino Bay in the east. It was constructed in two phases, with a designed maximum throughput of 80 million tons per year. The first phase connected Taishet to Skovorodino; construction began in April 2006 and the line entered service in December 2009. The second phase linked Skovorodino to the Kozmino oil export terminal on the Pacific coast, which was officially commissioned in December 2012. In 2011, the Skovorodino–Mohe branch line was completed, enabling the integration of the China–Russia pipeline and transporting low-sulfur crude from the Vankor, Verkhnechonskoye, and Talakan fields. Russia’s Ministry of Energy plans to increase the ESPO pipeline’s annual capacity by 32 million tons by 2026. Meanwhile, Transneft has boosted the annual transshipment volume at Kozmino Bay to 42 million tons by injecting turbidity‑reducing additives.

• Nord Stream 1 and 2 natural gas pipelines

Nord Stream 1 is a subsea natural gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea, with a total length of 1,224 kilometers and an annual capacity of up to 55 billion cubic meters. It serves as a critical link directly connecting Russia’s abundant natural gas resources to Europe’s energy‑demand markets. The primary gas source is the Bovanenkovo field on the Yamal Peninsula in Western Siberia. Nord Stream 1 runs from Vyborg, Russia, across the Baltic Sea seabed to Germany and was commissioned in 2011. Although Nord Stream 2 was completed in 2021, an explosion damaged the pipeline, causing leaks, and it has never been officially put into service. Together, Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 were designed to have a combined annual capacity of 110 billion cubic meters; both pipelines are currently out of operation.

•Bajer Oil Pipeline

The Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, officially known as the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan Oil Pipeline, spans 1,768 kilometers, connecting Baku in Azerbaijan, Tbilisi in Georgia, and the Turkish port of Ceyhan. It serves as Azerbaijan’s primary oil export route, enabling crude from the Caspian Sea to reach the Mediterranean while bypassing Russia and Iran. Construction began in 2002 and the pipeline entered service in 2006, with a total investment of US$3.6 billion. Initially designed for a capacity of 1 million barrels per day, it now operates at 1.2 million barrels per day, with an annual throughput capacity of up to 50 million tons.

The Azerbaijani and Georgian sections of the pipeline are operated by BP, while the Turkish segment is managed by Turkey’s BOTAS Petroleum Pipeline Corporation. In 2023, Kazakhstan transported 5.24 million tonnes of oil via the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline, accounting for 17.4% of its total export volume. As of the third quarter of 2025, the pipeline had cumulatively carried more than 4.6 billion barrels of crude oil.

•Keystone Pipeline

The pipeline is one of North America’s most critical oil‑transporting pipelines and serves as the main artery for Canadian crude exports to the United States. Officially commissioned in 2010, it links Alberta, Canada’s leading oil‑producing province, with the U.S. Midwest and the Gulf Coast, with a daily throughput capacity of 622,000 barrels. The pipeline’s core segment runs from Hardisty, Alberta, through Steele City, Nebraska, and onward to refineries in Illinois, Oklahoma, and along the Gulf Coast. It is currently operated by South Bow, a company spun off from TC Energy.

The Keystone pipeline transports 590,000 barrels of crude oil per day to refineries in the U.S. Midwest, with its network extending to Port Arthur and Houston, Texas, where it connects to export and refining infrastructure along the U.S. Gulf Coast. TC Energy had proposed expanding the pipeline under the “Keystone XL” project, but the plan was canceled in 2021 due to opposition from various stakeholders. If completed, the expansion would have increased the pipeline’s capacity by an additional 830,000 barrels per day.

The Keystone pipeline is highly politically sensitive within North America’s crude‑oil logistics network. On the one hand, it transports Alberta’s oil sands and bitumen to U.S. refining hubs, making it indispensable to the American refining industry; on the other hand, as the United States moves toward energy independence, the pipeline has increasingly become a bargaining chip in U.S.–Canadian governmental negotiations.

The Keystone pipeline expansion project has faced opposition, primarily because the pipeline has experienced multiple leaks, causing significant environmental contamination. The oil sands it transports have also been labeled by environmentalists as “the dirtiest oil.” In October 2019, a leak on the Keystone Pipeline in North Dakota released 378,000 gallons of crude oil. In 2022, the pipeline suffered another major oil spill, with approximately 14,000 barrels of crude oil spilling into a small stream in Kansas—making it one of the five largest onshore oil spills worldwide since 2010 and the most severe leak in the history of the Keystone Pipeline.

•Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline

The pipeline, also known as the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), stretches 1,811 kilometers across Turkey’s Anatolian Peninsula, connecting 20 provinces, 67 districts, and 600 towns. The section within Turkey totals approximately 1,334 kilometers. It transports natural gas extracted in Azerbaijan to Turkey and onward to Europe. Phase I commenced construction in 2015 and entered service in June 2018, while Phase II was completed in November 2019. In 2020, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan described TANAP as a “project for regional peace.” The pipeline is designed to handle a maximum annual throughput of 32 billion cubic meters, with current actual annual deliveries standing at 16 billion cubic meters.

The pipeline connects to the South Caucasus Pipeline extension, which runs through Azerbaijan and Georgia, in the east, and to the Adriatic Gas Pipeline, which spans Greece and Italy, in the west, forming a major natural gas artery that stretches across Central Asia and Europe. It is one of the key projects underpinning Europe’s strategy to diversify its energy supply. BP holds a 12% stake in the project, BOTAS holds 30%, and SGC holds 58%.

•Iraq–Turkey Pipeline (ITP)

This pipeline, known as the Kirkuk–Ceyhan Pipeline, stretches 970 kilometers and is a twin‑pipeline system with a total designed capacity of approximately 150,000 barrels per day. Constructed under an agreement signed in the 1970s between Turkey and Iraq, it transports crude oil from the Kirkuk field in Iraq’s northern Kurdish Autonomous Region to the Turkish port of Ceyhan, at one point accounting for as much as 0.5% of global oil supplies. The first phase was completed in 1976, and the second phase was finished in 1987.

The Kirkuk–Ceyhan pipeline has made Iraq Turkey’s largest oil supplier and provided an alternative export route for Middle Eastern oil producers. The pipeline was shut down in March 2023, with pre‑shutdown throughput at 450,000 barrels per day; shipments resumed in September 2025. Prior to the recent Middle East conflict, the pipeline’s daily capacity stood at 200,000 barrels. On March 9 this year, several companies operating in Kurdish oilfields halted production, reducing crude exports via the pipeline and prompting a temporary suspension of flows. On March 11, an official from Iraq’s Ministry of Oil stated that the Iraqi government had submitted a request to the Kurdistan Regional Government to resume oil exports to Turkey through the pipeline. Iraq initially plans to export 250,000 barrels per day via the pipeline, with volumes expected to increase gradually thereafter. By March 18, crude exports through the Kirkuk–Ceyhan pipeline had been restored.

•Trans Mountain Pipeline and Expansion Project

The Trans Mountain Pipeline, located within Canada, primarily transports crude oil and refined products from Edmonton, Alberta, to the coastal region of British Columbia. Its expansion project (TMX) involves constructing a parallel pipeline alongside the existing one, with a total length of 1,150 kilometers, aimed at increasing the overall capacity from 300,000 barrels per day to 890,000 barrels per day.

The Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project received approval from the Canadian government to begin construction in November 2016. In August 2018, Canada’s Federal Court of Appeal revoked the project’s construction permit, citing the government’s failure to adequately consult with Indigenous peoples, thereby suspending the project indefinitely. That same year, the Canadian government acquired the Trans Mountain Pipeline and its expansion project from Kinder Morgan for CAD 4.5 billion (approximately RMB 22.03 billion) and established Trans Mountain Corporation to manage it; the project was fully commissioned in 2024.

TMX aims to reduce the Canadian oil industry’s reliance on U.S. pipelines and refineries. Despite facing challenges due to cost overruns and lower-than-expected utilization, the project continues to deliver substantial economic benefits to Canada.

•China–Kazakhstan Crude Oil Pipeline

The China–Kazakhstan Crude Oil Pipeline is China’s first strategic, cross‑border crude oil import pipeline and the first pipeline invested in and constructed by PetroChina in Central Asia. It stretches from Atyrau, Kazakhstan, in the west—passing through Kenkiyak, Kumkol, and Atasu—to the Alashankou–Dushanzi oil pipeline’s initial terminal in China, with a total length of over 2,800 kilometers. Dubbed the “First Pipeline of the Silk Road,” it has a planned annual throughput capacity of 20 million tons. The pipeline is divided into three sections: Atyrau–Kenkiyak, Kenkiyak–Kumkol, and Atasu–Alashankou. Entering China at Alashankou in Xinjiang, it supplies crude oil to refineries within the country.

This pipeline helps Kazakhstan diversify its crude oil exports, secures crude feedstock for the country’s two major refineries in the east, and expands China’s crude oil import channels, thereby ensuring a balanced energy supply for refineries in Xinjiang. It stands as a model of mutually beneficial and win-win energy cooperation between China and Kazakhstan.

In addition to the China–Kazakhstan crude oil pipeline, the pipeline infrastructure under China–Kazakhstan oil and gas cooperation also includes the China–Central Asia Natural Gas Pipeline Lines A, B, and C, the South Kazakhstan Natural Gas Pipeline, and the Northwest Kazakhstan Crude Oil Pipeline.

• China–Myanmar Oil and Gas Pipeline

The China–Myanmar oil and gas pipeline is a crude oil and natural gas transportation corridor linking China’s southwestern region with Myanmar, serving as a pioneering demonstration project under the Belt and Road Initiative in Myanmar. As China’s fourth-largest energy import route, the pipeline is operated by China National Petroleum Corporation. It originates on the eastern coast of the Indian Ocean, traverses Myanmar, enters China via Ruili in Yunnan, and integrates seamlessly with the domestic oil and gas pipeline network, extending its reach to multiple provinces and municipalities, including Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Guangxi, and Guangdong. This pipeline has opened up a new pathway for diversifying China’s energy import sources, enabling it to bypass the Strait of Malacca—where geopolitical risks are relatively high—and thereby reducing the vulnerabilities associated with maritime crude oil imports. Against the backdrop of heightened risks in global maritime energy transport routes and an evolving geopolitical landscape, the strategic significance of the China–Myanmar oil and gas pipeline has become even more pronounced.

Among these projects, the China–Myanmar crude oil pipeline originates on Maday Island off Myanmar’s western coast. Construction began in 2010 and it entered commercial operation in 2017. With a total length of 771 kilometers within Myanmar, its designed throughput is 22 million tons per year. The China–Myanmar natural gas pipeline starts at Kyaukpyu; it spans 793 kilometers inside Myanmar, with construction commencing in 2010 and commissioning in 2013, and a designed capacity of 12 billion cubic meters per year. The development and operation of these China–Myanmar oil and gas pipelines have not only bolstered China’s energy security and the economic growth of its southwestern region but have also provided strong support for Myanmar’s infrastructure development and improvements in people’s livelihoods.

•Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC)

The pipeline connects Kazakhstan’s Tengiz oilfield to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. Proposed in 1992 by Russia, Kazakhstan, and Oman, it was completed and commissioned in 2001. With a total length of 1,511 kilometers, it has a designed maximum capacity of 1.4 million barrels per day, though its typical operating capacity is around 1.2 million barrels per day. The pipeline serves as the primary conduit for Kazakhstan’s oil exports, accounting for more than 80 percent of the country’s total export volume.

The Caspian Sea oil pipeline has faced a series of operational disruptions in recent years: in March 2022, it was shut down due to storm damage and resumed operations in April; in July of the same year, a 30-day outage was triggered by issues with technical documentation, later resolved through administrative penalties. In February and December 2025, drone attacks on pumping stations reduced pipeline throughput by 30% to 40%. In November 2025, Black Sea terminal facilities were targeted, and in January 2026, an oil tanker scheduled to load Kazakh oil was also hit by drones, cutting Kazakhstan’s oil exports by 3.8 million tons. In January 2026, the single-point mooring system SPM‑3 was recommissioned after maintenance; in February, the damaged Kropotkin pumping station was repaired and restarted, restoring the pipeline to full‑capacity operation.

•Saudi East-West Pipeline

The East–West Pipeline is an crude oil transportation pipeline built by Saudi Arabia to connect its eastern oil‑producing region along the Persian Gulf with the Red Sea ports of Yanbu and Mu’ajjiz. Constructed in 1981, it spans approximately 1,200 kilometers and has a maximum capacity of 7 million barrels per day. Originally designed to address the tanker warfare in the Persian Gulf during the Iran–Iraq War, it serves as a backup route for Saudi crude exports. In March this year, amid disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz caused by regional tensions, the pipeline emerged as a critical alternative bypassing the strait. Saudi Aramco promptly activated the pipeline and gradually resumed operations, leading to a sharp increase in crude exports from the port of Yanbu.

The World’s Top Ten Maritime Energy Transport Routes

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the American military theorist Alfred Thayer Mahan argued that whoever controls the seas controls world trade—and by extension, global wealth. This is known as the famous “theory of sea power.” From a geopolitical perspective, there are roughly sixteen major maritime chokepoints worldwide; however, from the standpoint of energy transportation, the ten most critical global energy‑transport corridors are: the Strait of Malacca, the Strait of Hormuz, the Cape of Good Hope, the Denmark Strait, the Suez Canal, the Bab el-Mandeb, the Turkish Straits, the Panama Canal, the Strait of Gibraltar, and the Bering Strait.

Maritime oil and gas transportation has long played a pivotal role in the global energy landscape. According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), approximately 80 million barrels of oil are shipped by sea each day, while total global oil supply stands at 104 million barrels per day. The top five maritime oil‑transport chokepoints are the Strait of Malacca, the Strait of Hormuz, the Cape of Good Hope, the Denmark Strait, and the Suez Canal. Among these, the Strait of Malacca and the Strait of Hormuz are the world’s most critical sea lanes for oil transport, handling a combined daily throughput of roughly 43 million barrels.

• Strait of Malacca: the world’s busiest oil‑transport route

The Strait of Malacca lies between the Malay Peninsula and the island of Sumatra in Southeast Asia. Jointly administered by Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, it serves as a “maritime crossroads” connecting the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. The strait stretches approximately 1,080 kilometers, with its widest point in the northwest measuring 370 kilometers and its narrowest section—the Singapore Strait—in the southeast just 37 kilometers wide. Each day, more than 23 million barrels of oil pass through the strait, accounting for 29 percent of global seaborne oil trade, while daily liquefied natural gas (LNG) traffic averages 9.2 billion cubic feet (about 261 million cubic meters).

The Strait of Malacca is not only a vital transit route for energy—particularly oil—into Asia, but also a key artery underpinning regional and global trade, making it one of the world’s busiest waterways. The volume of oil tankers passing through the strait is three times that transiting the Suez Canal and five times that traversing the Panama Canal. Major Asian economies—including China, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore—rely heavily on this shipping lane to meet their industrial, transportation, and power‑generation energy needs, which is why it is often referred to as the “maritime lifeline” of Asian nations. Recent developments in the Middle East have disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, with resulting pressure spilling over into other maritime chokepoints. Against this backdrop, the strategic sensitivity of the Strait of Malacca has risen markedly, placing significant strain on littoral states in areas such as transit efficiency, port‑to‑port transshipment, navigational safety, and broader strait governance.

• Strait of Hormuz: The Most Strategically Important Oil Shipping Lane

If the Strait of Malacca is the energy “lifeline” for Asian nations, then the Strait of Hormuz is the maritime energy artery shared by the world’s major economies. The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, situated between southern Iran and the Arabian Peninsula. It stretches 150 kilometers from east to west and ranges from 56 to 125 kilometers in width, with its narrowest point—between islands—just 39 kilometers wide. With an average depth of 70 meters, it ranks among the world’s most critical energy transit routes. According to data from the International Energy Agency (IEA), by 2025 approximately 20 million barrels of crude oil and petroleum products will pass through the strait each day, accounting for roughly 25% of global seaborne oil shipments. Furthermore, LNG transported via the Strait of Hormuz is projected to exceed 112 billion cubic meters annually by 2025, representing about 20% of global LNG trade.

On the alternative‑route front, the Strait of Hormuz has virtually no viable detours. Resource‑rich countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar all rely on this waterway to ship oil and gas to international markets. Consequently, any disruption to traffic through the strait would deliver a severe blow to the global energy market. Since the outbreak of the U.S.–Israel–Iran conflict, the shipping crisis in the Strait of Hormuz has escalated into a historic, worldwide disruption of energy supplies.

•Cape of Good Hope: The Alternative Route Makes a Comeback

The Cape of Good Hope is a renowned headland at the southwestern tip of Africa, where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic Ocean, located 52 kilometers north of Cape Town, South Africa. Due to frequent storms and rough seas, it was originally known as the “Cape of Storms.” Before the Suez Canal opened, all ships traveling between Asia and Europe passed by the Cape of Good Hope. As concerns over the security of oil‑transport routes through West Asia and North Africa have grown, the volume of oil shipments via the Cape of Good Hope has tended to rise and fall in tandem with that along the Red Sea corridor. In 2023, daily oil shipments around the Cape of Good Hope totaled approximately 6.2 million barrels; by 2024, this figure had surged by 50%, accounting for roughly 8% to 10% of global seaborne oil trade. About one-third of this crude originates in the United States, nearly one-quarter comes from South America, and much Middle Eastern crude has also been rerouted through this route. As of the first half of 2025, daily oil shipments around the Cape of Good Hope have climbed to approximately 9.1 million barrels, representing about 11.4% of the world’s total seaborne oil traffic.

• Denmark Strait: A critical chokepoint for crude oil exports from northern resource-producing countries

The Denmark Strait lies between Iceland and Greenland, a Danish territory, connecting the Arctic Ocean to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It stretches approximately 483 kilometers in length, with its narrowest point measuring about 290 kilometers. As a vital maritime route linking the Baltic Sea to the North Sea, it also serves as a critical node in the evolving landscape of European energy trade. With the development and exploitation of Arctic resources, the strategic and geographic significance of the Denmark Strait has grown increasingly pronounced.

After 2022, amid geopolitical disruptions, countries such as the United States, Norway, the United Kingdom, and Egypt increased oil shipments through the Danish Strait to Eastern and Northern European nations like Poland and Finland. Meanwhile, with the rapid expansion of U.S. LNG export capacity, the United States has become a major natural gas supplier to countries east of the Danish Strait. In the first half of 2025, daily oil throughput through the Danish Strait stood at 4.9 million barrels, while daily LNG throughput reached 1.6 billion cubic feet, much of which was used to make up for the shortfall in pipeline gas supplies that Europe has experienced since 2022.

• Suez Canal: The shortest maritime route between Europe and Asia

The Suez Canal and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait guard the northern and southern ends of the Red Sea, respectively. Located in northeastern Egypt, the Suez Canal is an artificial waterway connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, stretching approximately 193 kilometers. It serves as a strategic route for transporting crude oil, petroleum products, and LNG from the Persian Gulf to Europe and North America. The Suez Canal is the shortest maritime link between Europe and Asia, eliminating the need to round the Cape of Good Hope and saving 8,000 to 10,000 kilometers of sailing distance. Suez Canal throughput has fluctuated in tandem with changes in traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. In 2020, daily oil shipments through the Suez Canal averaged about 5.4 million barrels; by 2023, this had risen to 8.8 million barrels. As disruptions along the Red Sea route intensified, daily volumes fell to roughly 4.8 million barrels in 2024 and remained at around 4.9 million barrels in the first half of 2025.

• Bab el-Mandeb Strait: The maritime chokepoint connecting the three continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa.

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, situated between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, connects the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. It serves as a critical maritime chokepoint for Eurasia and Africa and is a major conduit for oil transportation. The strait runs in a northwest–southeast direction, stretching approximately 130 kilometers in length, with a width of 26–32 kilometers and an average depth of 150 meters, allowing fully loaded Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) to transit safely. In recent years, oil shipments through the Bab el-Mandeb initially increased steadily before reversing course. Data show that from 2020 to 2023, daily oil traffic rose from 5.7 million barrels to 9.3 million barrels; however, this trend then reversed sharply. During 2024 and the first half of 2025, daily throughput has averaged between 4.1 and 4.2 million barrels. The decline in traffic is primarily attributable to geopolitical security concerns: frequent attacks on passing vessels have prompted many ships to reroute around Africa, bypassing this vital shipping lane.

•The Turkish Straits: The World’s Strategic Navel

The Turkish Straits, also known as the Black Sea Straits, are a narrow and strategically vital maritime passage that connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Black Sea. Fully controlled by Turkey, the straits comprise the Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles, stretching 361 kilometers in a northeast–southwest direction and serving as the boundary between Europe and Asia. Throughout history, they have been a fiercely contested strategic asset and constitute a key conduit for transporting oil and LNG from the Caspian region and Russia to Asian and European markets. Approximately 3.7 million barrels of crude oil and petroleum products pass through the Turkish Straits each day, accounting for roughly 5 percent of global seaborne oil trade.

•Panama Canal: A Shortcut for Transportation in the Americas

The Panama Canal connects the Pacific Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean, serving as one of the most important maritime shortcuts between the Americas and a key conduit for global trade in refined petroleum products, liquefied petroleum gas, and LNG.

Although in 2025 oil and other liquid fuels transiting the Panama Canal will account for only about 3% of global seaborne energy trade, its strategic value lies in significantly shortening shipping distances between the U.S. Gulf Coast and Asia as well as the west coast of South America, making it particularly well suited for medium- and small-sized tankers transporting refined petroleum products.

In recent years, driven by rising U.S. liquefied petroleum gas production and expanding petrochemical demand in Asia, the volume of propane, ethane, and other cargoes shipped to Asia via the Panama Canal has increased significantly, making the canal one of the key conduits for U.S. energy exports. At the same time, LNG exports from the U.S. Gulf Coast have also long relied heavily on the canal.

• Strait of Gibraltar: The Lifeline of the Mediterranean

The Strait of Gibraltar lies between the southern tip of Spain and the northwest coast of Africa, serving as the sole maritime link between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. With a length of approximately 90 kilometers, it is a vital shipping route, often referred to as the “lifeline of the Mediterranean,” handling more than 10% of global maritime trade and seeing about 300 vessels transit daily.

When the Suez Canal or Middle East routes are blocked, this strait serves as an essential passage for vessels seeking to bypass Africa. In terms of energy transport, the Strait of Gibraltar functions both as a transit corridor and a key distribution hub: each day, several million barrels of crude oil pass through it en route to European refining networks, while numerous LNG carriers head to receiving terminals in Spain, France, Italy, and other countries. Along the northern shore, the Bay of Cádiz and the Algeciras area have become concentrated centers for refining, storage, and trading facilities, forming a vital energy nexus. As for security concerns, frequent attacks on passing ships have led many vessels to reroute around Africa, avoiding this shipping lane altogether.

•Bering Strait: the shortest maritime passage between Asia and America

The Bering Strait lies between Cape Dezhnev at the easternmost tip of Russia and Cape Prince of Wales at the westernmost point of America. It is the only navigable route connecting the Arctic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and also the shortest maritime passage between Asia and North America.

The Diomede Islands, large and small, situated in the middle of the Bering Strait, are divided between Russia and the United States, forming a natural boundary among the three continents of Asia, Europe, and North America, as well as the maritime border between the two nations. With global warming, the Bering Strait—acting as the gateway to the Arctic shipping route—has emerged as a potential “golden waterway” for trade connecting Asia, Europe, and North America, playing a crucial role in oil and gas transportation and becoming a focal point of great-power competition.

Africa is preparing to advance six oil and gas pipeline projects.

Africa’s economic transformation and industrialization are inseparable from the support of its abundant natural resources, with oil and gas pipelines serving as a crucial platform for realizing its future development vision. African heads of state and senior leaders have long recognized this, and in recent years have steadily advanced the construction of oil and gas transportation networks and the process of regional economic integration. These major initiatives will provide strong impetus for unlocking Africa’s development potential. At present, six key oil and gas pipeline projects are being vigorously planned and implemented, each of which is of great significance in alleviating energy supply pressures across Africa and globally.

• East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP)

This is a cross-border crude oil pipeline connecting the Albert Lake oilfield in western Uganda to the port of Tanga in Tanzania. It is also the fastest‑advancing and most promising of Africa’s six planned pipelines, poised to deliver Ugandan‑produced crude directly to the Indian Ocean for export. With a total length of approximately 1,443 kilometers, it is currently the longest heated crude oil pipeline under construction worldwide. The project employs underground laying combined with external insulation and electric trace heating to transport the crude, featuring a pipe diameter of 610 millimeters and a design pressure of 9.3 megapascals.

The shareholders of the East African Crude Oil Export Pipeline Project include TotalEnergies, CNOOC, Uganda National Petroleum Corporation, and Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation. Officially launched in February 2022, the project is being implemented in three phases concurrently. As of early 2026, overall progress stands at 64%, with all mainline welding completed. Adhering to an eco‑priority approach that prioritizes conservation before development, the project has developed and implemented tailored ecological protection measures for ecologically sensitive areas such as nature reserves and wetlands.

•Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline (TSGP)

This is a pipeline project that has been in the planning stages for decades, but progress has long been slow. Against the backdrop of geopolitical turmoil in the Middle East and disruptions to energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline has once again drawn international attention. The project originates in Nigeria, runs through Niger to connect with Algeria, and can deliver gas to Europe via Algeria’s existing pipeline network, making it one of the key alternative routes for securing global energy supplies. With a total length of approximately 4,130 kilometers and a designed annual capacity of 30 billion cubic meters, the TSGP is expected to complete its first phase of construction and begin operations by 2029.

At present, the project has secured support from the African Development Bank, the Central Bank of West African States, and several international institutions. Experts note that the project boasts a mature technical design, relatively modest construction challenges, and the availability of existing infrastructure along its route. Beyond advancing Africa’s energy integration, the initiative will also deepen energy cooperation between Africa and Europe. According to reports, pipeline construction will leverage cutting-edge technologies to ensure safety and environmental sustainability, thereby reinforcing its role as a cornerstone of Africa’s energy infrastructure.

• African Renaissance Pipeline

Also known as the Mozambique–South Africa Natural Gas Pipeline Project, it stretches approximately 2,600 kilometers, running from the Rovuma Basin gas fields in northern Mozambique to Gauteng Province in South Africa, with a route that passes through Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. Of this length, about 2,000 kilometers lie within Mozambique and roughly 600 kilometers in South Africa. The project’s total investment is estimated at over US$6 billion, with a designed annual transport capacity of 16 to 20 billion cubic meters. Upon completion, it will become the most critical natural gas transmission artery in southern Africa, meeting the industrial and residential gas needs of South Africa and neighboring countries while fostering economic development across the region. Countries such as Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Eswatini are expected to benefit significantly.

• Central African Pipeline System

In June 2025, at the Central African Business and Energy Forum held in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo, representatives from participating African countries jointly signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the Central African Pipeline System project. According to the plan, the project will construct an oil and gas pipeline network spanning 6,500 kilometers across 11 Central African nations, providing transportation, storage, and distribution services for natural gas and petroleum products to meet the growing energy needs of local populations and industries. The initiative also aims to transform the region into a “poverty‑eradication energy hub” by 2030.

The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding marks a critical milestone for this project. On this basis, the relevant African countries will establish a dedicated project management authority, conduct in-depth feasibility studies, and oversee the entire lifecycle of the project’s development and implementation. Upon completion, the pipeline will not only reduce energy transportation costs, enhance regional energy security, and improve regional energy infrastructure, but also bolster the economic development of Chad, Sudan, and other nations, thereby strengthening Central Africa’s position in the global energy market.

• Nigeria–Morocco Natural Gas Pipeline

The project is regarded as a flagship initiative for cooperation among West African nations. It comprises a regional natural gas pipeline network spanning both land and offshore, with a total length of approximately 6,000 kilometers, traversing 13 West African countries. The estimated total investment is around US$25 billion. Starting in Nigeria, the pipeline will draw its entire supply from Nigerian gas fields, providing stable and reliable energy to the countries along its route, thereby supporting local industrial development and fostering regional economic prosperity. The pipeline’s plan was first proposed in 2016, but progress has been slow over the years. Currently, a feasibility study has been launched, and construction will proceed in phases, with an anticipated duration of 25 years.

Recent progress on the project includes: In 2022, Nigeria’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the Economic Community of West African States. That same year, Nigeria, Morocco, Ghana, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Sierra Leone jointly signed a cooperation MOU, further extending the pipeline’s planned route. In April 2025, at a conference in Washington, the United States expressed its intention to invest in the project, with a focus on Nigeria’s natural gas sector. In October 2025, Nigeria and Morocco announced the establishment of a joint venture to coordinate the project’s planning, financing, and implementation. In March 2026, at the U.S.–Africa Energy Forum, Morocco presented the project to U.S. investors, and institutions such as the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) explicitly signaled their interest in investing. Ultimately, the pipeline will connect to Europe’s natural gas network, helping to alleviate Europe’s energy shortages while enhancing West Africa’s participation in the global energy economy.

•Ajo Kutah–Kaduna–Kano Natural Gas Pipeline

This project is the flagship initiative of Nigeria’s ten-year natural gas infrastructure plan. With a total length of 618 kilometers, it will transport natural gas from southern to northern Nigeria upon completion. The project entails an investment of US$2.8 billion and is expected to reduce Nigeria’s reliance on imported fuels, thereby supporting the country’s transition to a gas‑based economy.

Australia’s self-contained natural gas pipeline network

Natural gas is one of Australia’s major export commodities. Leveraging its unique natural gas resource endowment, the country began constructing a natural gas pipeline network in the mid-20th century; over time, the pipeline system expanded to span both the eastern and western coasts, establishing a comprehensive interconnected infrastructure that robustly supports domestic consumption and international exports. With a total pipeline length of 42,000 kilometers, Australia’s natural gas network is distinguished by its exceptional safety record—no major leakage incidents have occurred to date—likely attributable to the country’s high‑standard design for high‑pressure transmission pipelines and its stringent operational management.

The Moni–Brisbane pipeline, completed in 1964, was Australia’s first oil transportation pipeline, stretching 306 kilometers and at the time the country’s longest high-pressure pipeline. The Roma–Brisbane pipeline, commissioned in March 1969, was Australia’s earliest natural gas pipeline, with a total length of 440 kilometers. Today, Australia’s natural gas pipeline network is primarily divided into the East Coast network and the Western Australian network.

The East Coast Gas Pipeline network spans Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and the Australian Capital Territory. Natural gas from the Bass Strait is piped to industrial users in the Sydney suburbs and southeastern Queensland, while gas from the Cooper and Eromanga basins is transported eastward to Sydney and Brisbane, and southward to Adelaide. In recent years, most pipelines within the East Coast network have been converted to bidirectional flow, enabling natural gas from Queensland to be delivered to Tasmania and allowing gas from the Bass Strait to reach Gladstone further north, from where it can be exported to Asia.

Onshore natural gas transmission pipelines in Western Australia are generally quite long; for example, the Dampier–Bunbury Pipeline stretches 1,539 kilometers, and the Goldfields Gas Pipeline runs 1,590 kilometers. These long-distance pipelines transport natural gas from offshore gas fields near Dampier to the densely populated southern regions. Other gas pipelines in Western Australia primarily serve the mines and mining towns of the Pilbara region.

Australia’s natural gas pipelines are all operated by private companies, with the major operators including APA Group, Jemena, and AusNet Services.

APA Group operates three pipelines in New South Wales, including the Mumball to Sydney pipeline; a fully integrated transmission and distribution system in Victoria; five pipelines in Queensland, including three that connect the Cooper Basin in central Australia with Brisbane; and one pipeline in the Northern Territory. The company holds a 50% stake in the SEA Gas Pipeline linking Victoria and South Australia, a 20% interest in Energy Infrastructure Investments (EII), a minority stake in the Aggas energy distribution network in Queensland, and owns the Central Range System in New South Wales.

Jemena owns the Eastern Gas Pipeline, the Victoria Hub Pipeline, and the Queensland Gas Pipeline, while also operating a major transmission and distribution network in New South Wales and holding a 50% stake in the Capital Territory’s transmission and distribution network. The company’s shareholders—China State Grid Corporation and Singapore Power International—also hold equity interests in AusNet Services’ gas transmission and distribution network in Victoria, including significant stakes.

AusNet Services operates distribution networks in Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, and the Northern Territory, as well as a gas transmission pipeline in the Northern Territory.

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Global Supply and Demand Analysis of Chemical Raw Materials and Pathways to Achieving Low-Cost Supply

2026-07-23