Environmentalists call Eilat oil shipping disaster waiting to happen
Environmental groups claim that the new project to transport Gulf oil via Eilat to Europe is likely to damage the local unique coral reef.
The idea of shortening the route that petroleum traverses from the Persian Gulf to Europe makes perfect sense geographically. Instead of circling the Sinai Peninsula and passing through the crowded and expensive Suez Canal, oil tankers could take a much shorter route to the Gulf of Eilat, from where their petroleum and byproducts can be sent to Israel’s southern port on the Mediterranean coast. Containers waiting there would then transport the cargo to Europe.
The idea could not be implemented until last summer for practical and political reasons: Israel and the Gulf States did not have direct diplomatic relations. Since then, a series of peace agreements known as the Abraham Accords were signed between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
Business and trade between the participating countries has been growing at a rapid pace, including in the field of energy. Israel’s Delek Drilling recently sold its shares in one of Israeli’s gas field in the Mediterranean to an Emirati company, Mubadala Petroleum.
The agreements also provided momentum to the prospect of transporting Gulf oil through Israel. It is actually an old idea, though it gained momentum at the 2019 Manama Conference, which dealt with the economic aspects of then-President Donald Trump’s plan to promote regional peace and economic development.
