Deepwater challenges threaten India’s $4.8 bn pipeline plan to bypass Hormuz: Shipbroker

India’s ambitious proposal to construct a deep-sea pipeline stretching roughly 1,200 kilometres from the UAE/Oman across the Arabian Sea to Gujarat—aimed at bypassing the vulnerable Strait of Hormuz—faces severe engineering, logistical, and financial hurdles, according to UK shipbroker Alibra Shipping. Spurred by regional geopolitical friction that threatens the maritime choke point carrying ~40% of India’s crude imports, the $4.7B–$4.8B (Rs 40,000 crore) project seeks to secure long-term energy supplies outside unstable shipping lanes. However, Alibra warned that laying subsea infrastructure at extreme depths of up to 3,450 metres across complex geological formations, such as the Owen Fracture Zone and Indus Fan, presents unprecedented operational challenges for crude oil and gas transmission. With an estimated construction timeline of 5 to 7 years (projected operational target of 2031–2033), the project remains preliminary, with India’s Ministry of Petroleum yet to formalise active negotiations despite ongoing feasibility studies, according to a report.

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