Amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Iran has blocked the Strait of Hormuz, which is a major shipping route for transporting oil. A social media post was published regarding this, stating that a solution has been implemented to bypass the Strait of Hormuz and transport oil via land. Here is a fact check we did regarding it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Social Media Posts :<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This image explains a proposal that suggests that tankers could offload crude oil at ports in the Persian Gulf region, then transport the oil overland via trucks across the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Oil would then be reloaded onto tankers on the Gulf of Oman side to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Explainer :<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Where is the Strait of Hormuz located?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Strait of Hormuz is the world’s most critical oil shipping route.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Located between Iran to the north and Oman and the United Arab Emirates to the south, it is 50 km (31 miles) wide at its entrance and exit, and narrows to 33 km (20 mi) at its narrowest point. It is the only maritime connection between the Gulf and the Arabian Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Strait of Hormuz is the main transportation route for major Middle Eastern oil and gas exporters to international markets, and importing countries depend on its continued operation. More information on this here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Volume of oil transported through the Strait of Hormuz<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The main reason the truck route through land is considered impractical is the enormous volume of oil passing through the Strait of Hormuz. According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), about 20 million barrels per day are shipped through the strait. This scale is a core obstacle to overland alternatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More information on this can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Approximately 80% of the oil passing through Hormuz is shipped to Asian markets, with Japan, South Korea, China and India heavily dependent on supplies transported through this strait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the first half of last year, the United States imported about 400,000 barrels of crude oil and petroleum products per day from Persian Gulf countries through the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen sharply, following the February 28 US and Israeli military strikes against Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) targeting vessels transiting the strait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), the average number of commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz daily is around 138.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Replacing such a massive amount of sea transport through land would require far more infrastructure and logistics than currently available. More information regarding this here<\/a> and here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tank capacity and truck capacity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The difference in carrying capacity between oil tankers and trucks makes this idea impractical. A typical large oil tanker can carry about 2 million barrels of crude oil, while a standard tanker truck can typically carry only 150\u2013200 barrels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This means that it would take approximately 10,000 to 15,000 truck trips to transport a single large tanker. To equate this to the 20 million barrels per day that typically pass through the Strait of Hormuz would require hundreds of thousands of truck trips each day, which is unrealistic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/srilanka.factcrescendo.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-13-1019x1024.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/srilanka.factcrescendo.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-44.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n