Al-Sumait to 'Al-Siyasah': Opening European and African markets for Kuwaiti oil is a necessity
Gulf energy pipeline links: A “safety belt” 50 years overdue
By Bilal Naji
In a deep economic and geopolitical reading of the current state and future of the region’s energy sector, coinciding with positive indicators of growing regional trade exchanges—where intra-Gulf trade volume has reached approximately $146 billion annually, according to the latest statements from the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)—former board member of the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation and former Minister of Housing, oil expert Yahya Al-Sumait, stated in a special interview with “Al-Siyasa” that it is necessary to redraw the export route map for Kuwaiti and Gulf oil. He argued that current security shifts necessitate abandoning traditional patterns and immediately transitioning to flexible strategies that protect national economies from fluctuations in critical sea lanes, especially since the current level of intra-trade is poised to double record-breaking if exchange rate risks and differences in local currencies among GCC states are eliminated.
Al-Sumait emphasized the paramount strategic importance of the Kuwaiti energy sector’s move toward creating new windows and markets for oil exports and its derivatives in Europe and Africa. He stressed that this step has become an urgent necessity to diversify export destinations and not confine Kuwait’s energy markets solely to Asian countries, particularly since the current and nearly total reliance on Asian markets imposes complex logistical and geopolitical challenges, as these routes require oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
In this regard, he pointed out that opening new supply lines toward Africa and Europe would help secure alternative routes and enhance the resilience of the Kuwaiti oil sector in the face of any regional disturbances that could affect navigation in the strait, thereby ensuring the flow of Kuwaiti oil supplies to global markets in a safer and more stable manner.
Regarding the necessity of activating the joint oil pipeline network among GCC states, Al-Sumait noted that this strategic step has been delayed for nearly 50 years. However, current security challenges threatening oil tankers in sea lanes demand an immediate transition from theoretical planning and studies to actual implementation on the ground for shared infrastructure projects, foremost among which is linking oil and gas pipeline networks between Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman.
The oil expert viewed this ambitious regional project as a real and vital “safety belt” for Gulf economies for several fundamental reasons, foremost of which is bypassing critical sea straits. This collective linkage allows for the transport of Kuwaiti and Saudi oil via an extended and safer land network, delivering supplies directly to Omani ports overlooking the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean, such as Duqm Port, and to UAE ports located on the Gulf of Oman, such as Fujairah Port. This ultimately ensures the continued flow of energy and oil to global markets in a safe and stable manner, keeping them entirely free from any security disturbances or threats surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.
Al-Sumait clarified that the economic interdependence among the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) makes it imperative, now more than ever, to accelerate the pace of joint strategic projects and remove all inter-state obstacles to ensure the construction of a robust economic bloc capable of safeguarding the interests of its peoples and confronting regional and international challenges with high efficiency and full proactiveness, in light of the rapid developments on both the regional and international fronts. This is especially true given that the countries of the region have paid, and continue to pay, a heavy economic and financial price due to ongoing regional tensions and escalating conflicts between the United States and Israel against Iran. These tensions have cast a heavy shadow over growth trajectories, depleting a significant portion of financial resources due to the raising of security and military alert levels, as well as the impact on global supply chains stemming from direct threats to maritime navigation in the region’s vital waterways, particularly the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandab.
He warned that procrastination in achieving economic integration and delaying infrastructure connectivity projects—whether in the energy, railway, food security, or water sectors—will increase the cost of future risks for the countries of the region. He emphasized that such joint coordination would yield direct economic benefits for all GCC member states by unifying strategic efforts, localizing oil technology, and enhancing the bargaining power of the Gulf bloc in global energy markets. This would ensure sustainable development and protect the supreme economic interests of the region’s countries as an integrated whole. Notably, the six GCC states collectively represent the largest weight in global energy markets, with a combined oil production exceeding 17 million barrels per day and proven oil reserves accounting for approximately one-third of the global total.
