The 18 lakh crore question: How easy or difficult is the project to build a canal bypassing Hormuz?

The 18 lakh crore question: How easy or difficult is the project to build a canal bypassing Hormuz? The Strait of Hormuz, located between the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea, is one of the most important sea routes in the world. A large amount of crude oil produced in the Middle East passes through this narrow waterway and reaches many countries including Asia and Europe. About 20% of the world's total crude oil is transported through this route. At present, due to the increasing tension and war situation in the Middle East, shipping is disrupted here, the question arises whether there can be an alternative to Hormuz? Some experts have proposed the idea of ​​building a new canal bypassing Hormuz between the UAE and Oman, but implementing this idea is not so easy. According to the map, the narrowest point of the Strait of Hormuz is about 39 kilometers wide, but the entire area is not useful for ships. Since the Traffic Separation Scheme is in force here, separate 2-mile channels have been kept for incoming and outgoing ships and a safety distance of 2 miles has been kept between them. That is, only about 6 miles (approximately 11 km) of safe waterway is actually available for large oil tankers. In this situation, the idea of ​​​​building a canal bypassing Hormuz has arisen, but geographical obstacles such as the Musandam Peninsula pose a big problem for this plan. The Musandam region is part of the Hajar mountain range, where extremely strong rocks of limestone and dolomite, which are about 90–100 million years old, are located. The mountains here have risen directly from the sea in many places, due to which deep valleys and rugged coastlines are seen. If an attempt is made to build a canal here, many high mountains will have to be cut and about 60 miles of mountainous area will have to be excavated. According to engineers' estimates, the cost of this project alone could reach about $200 billion, i.e. about ₹18 lakh crore. In addition to the technical difficulties, there are also political challenges. Since Iran controls the northern coast of the Strait of Hormuz, this route gives it strategic importance. If the new sea route is created and Gulf oil tankers can go directly to the Arabian Sea, this strategic power of Iran may decrease. Therefore, Iran may oppose such a project and regional tensions may also increase. Another option is to build a canal about 300 kilometers long between Abu Dhabi in the UAE and Sohar in Oman, but this plan is also extremely difficult. This route again comes across the Hajar mountain range, where the height of some mountains reaches 1000 to 2000 meters. Cutting through such a large mountain range to build a canal is an extremely complex engineering task and involves technical requirements such as continuous dredging, management of ocean currents and large lock systems. Considering all these, it is considered extremely difficult to create a proper alternative to the Strait of Hormuz in the current situation. View company: Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology 2d • Eligibility Criteria for New GIKI Graduate Assistantships 2026 PhD Graduate Assistantship (GA-6) Eligibility • HSSC (or equivalent): Min 60% marks • BS/BS (Engineering): Min CGPA 2.70 • MS/MPhil: Min CGPA 3.00 MS Graduate Assistantship (GA-5) Eligibility • HSSC (or equivalent): Min 60% marks • BS/BS (Engineering): Min CGPA 2.70 📅 Application Deadline: July 31, 2026 🔗 Apply Online: https://lnkd.in/d67MpKwt 📚 Graduate Degree Programs • MS Artificial Intelligence • MS/PhD Computer Engineering • MS/PhD Computer Science • MS/PhD Chemical Engineering • MS/PhD Civil Engineering • MS/PhD Electrical Engineering • MS/PhD Electronic Engineering • MS Engineering Management • MS/PhD Engineering Sciences (Applied Mathematics, Physics & Engineering) • MS/PhD Materials Engineering • MS/PhD Mechanical Engineering • MS Nanotechnology & Materials Engineering Graduate Assistantship Benefits ✅ Monthly stipend up to Rs. 158,000 ✅ Full tuition fee waiver ✅ Free bachelor hostel accommodation ✅ Available across all MS & PhD programs All submitted and in-progress applications are automatically considered for the newly introduced Graduate Assistantship Scheme. *terms and conditions apply.