• Oil flows via Egypt’s SUMED pipeline surge 150% amid tensions
• Route gains importance as shipments bypass Strait of Hormuz
• Strait traffic drops sharply, raising global supply concerns

Oil flows through Egypt’s SUMED pipeline have surged by about 150% since the start of the Iran-related conflict, Gulf Business Insight reported on Wednesday, highlighting increased reliance on the route.

The rise is driven by the rerouting of some Gulf shipments through the pipeline, which transports crude between Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea and Sidi Kerir on the Mediterranean coast. Operated by the Arab Petroleum Pipelines Company, the system has a capacity of roughly 2.5 million barrels per day, according to official figures.

Some Gulf oil is first shipped to the Red Sea, partly through Saudi facilities, before entering the SUMED pipeline, Asharq Al-Awsat reported. The route allows exporters to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint for Gulf oil flows.

Traffic through the strait, which typically handles around 20% of global oil supply, has dropped by 95% since tensions escalated, AFP reported, citing Kpler data.

As Ecofin Agency reported in early March, Egyptian authorities have promoted the SUMED pipeline as a strategic alternative amid rising regional tensions. Egypt is positioning the route as a key corridor linking the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.

Some companies are avoiding the area altogether by diverting shipments around the Cape of Good Hope, a longer route that increases transit times and shipping costs between Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

Meanwhile, an Iranian parliamentary committee on Monday approved a draft bill to impose transit fees on vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz, according to official statements published on March 30. The proposal would bar ships from the United States and Israel, as well as those from countries that have imposed sanctions on Iran.

Abdel-Latif Boureima