What makes the strait of hormuz so important

Only Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have pipelines that can ship crude oil outside the Persian Gulf and have the additional pipeline capacity to circumvent the Strait of Hormuz. At the end of , the total available crude oil pipeline capacity from the two countries combined was estimated at 6.

In that year, 2. Based on tanker tracking data published by ClipperData , Saudi Arabia moves the most crude oil and condensate through the Strait of Hormuz, most of which is exported to other countries less than 0.

Toys stuck in supply chain chaos. Christmas trees may be hard to come by this year. The channel, which is only 21 miles wide at its narrowest point, is the only way to move oil from the Persian Gulf to the world's oceans. And that's why the attack early Thursday on two ships — one carrying oil and the other transporting a cargo of chemicals — in the nearby Gulf of Oman is such a concern. If the Strait were to be closed because of the threat of ongoing attacks, it would be a massive blow to the world's economy.

The Strait is even narrower than its mile width suggests. An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. Please try again later. Check here if you would like to receive subscription offers and other promotions via email from TIME group companies.

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