Question map
Consider the following statements : Statement-I : Sumed pipeline is a strategic route for Persian Gulf oil and natural gas shipments to Europe. Statement-II : Sumed pipeline connects the Red Sea with the Mediterranean Sea. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements ?
Explanation
The correct answer is option A because both statements are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I.
Statement-I is correct as the SUMED pipeline is indeed a strategic route for Persian Gulf oil and natural gas shipments to Europe[1]. It provides an alternative to the Suez Canal for transporting oil from the Persian Gulf region to the Mediterranean[2].
Statement-II is also correct because the SUMED pipeline is in Egypt and connects the Red Sea with [3]the Mediterranean Sea. More specifically, it runs from Ain Sokhna terminal in the Gulf of Suez (the northernmost terminus of the Red Sea) to offshore Sidi Kerir port, Alexandria in[4] the Mediterranean Sea.
Crucially, Statement-II explains Statement-I because the pipeline's geographic connection between the Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea is precisely what makes it strategically important for routing Persian Gulf oil to Europe. By connecting these two seas, it allows oil from the Persian Gulf (which enters via the Red Sea) to reach European markets through the Mediterranean, bypassing the need to use only the Suez Canal.
Sources- [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumed_pipeline
- [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumed_pipeline
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Guest previewThis is a classic 'Crisis-Response' question. The Sumed pipeline isn't in static books, but it appears in every major news analysis whenever the Suez Canal is blocked (e.g., Ever Given, 2021) or threatened (Red Sea crisis, 2023-24). The strategy is to map the 'Plan B' infrastructure for every major global chokepoint.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Explicitly names the SUMED pipeline as a strategic route for Persian Gulf oil and natural gas shipments to Europe.
- Places SUMED alongside the Suez Canal and Bab el-Mandeb as routes connecting the Red Sea with the Mediterranean, implying its role in deliveries to Europe.
- States that the Sumed pipeline provides an alternative to the Suez Canal for transporting oil from the Persian Gulf region to the Mediterranean.
- Directly ties Sumed's function to moving Persian Gulf hydrocarbons toward the Mediterranean ā the gateway to Europe.
- Identifies the Sumed Pipeline as an oil pipeline in Egypt running from the Ain Sokhna terminal to the Mediterranean, showing the physical route linking the Red Sea and Mediterranean.
- Provides technical context (type: oil, capacity), supporting its role as major infrastructure for transporting Persian Gulf oil to Europe.
States that in Europe, Russia and West Asia pipelines are used to connect oil wells to refineries, ports, or domestic markets ā showing pipelines serve as links between producing regions and export points.
A student could combine this with a map of Middle EastāMediterranean geography to see whether a pipeline across or near Egypt would function as a link between Persian Gulf shipments and European markets.
Notes the Indian Ocean provides major sea routes carrying heavy petroleum traffic from the Persian Gulf to Europe, implying established maritime corridors for Gulf-to-Europe oil flows.
Use this with knowledge of the Red Sea/Suez geography to assess whether an overland/oil-pipeline route across Egypt or adjacent coasts would be strategically placed relative to those sea routes.
Explains pipelines can be laid through rough terrain and under water and are used to integrate industrial regions, indicating pipelines can provide alternative continuous routes where maritime transit may be constrained.
A student could infer that an onshore pipeline parallel to a chokepoint sea route might serve as a strategic alternative and then check geographic chokepoints on a map.
Highlights that pipelines are the most convenient and economical bulk transport for oil in many places and that large volumes move between Middle East/Persian Gulf and major consuming regions.
Combine this economic rule with route maps to judge whether investing in a pipeline linking Gulf export flows toward Europe would be strategically sensible.
Describes long-distance pipelines (hundreds or thousands km) with pumping stations as the cheapest, efficient overland transport for crude oil, supporting the plausibility of long cross-country strategic pipelines.
A student could use this to consider whether a long pipeline traversing Egypt or nearby territory could economically and operationally serve Gulf-to-Europe flows, then verify with maps and trade-flow data.
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