Evaluation of The Position of Region's Oil Corridors in 2040 Horizon: A Gravity Model Approach

Today, geo-economics strategies play a significant role in the global economy and new dimensions have been considered, including the distribution of energy resources and their trade movements. In this study, evaluating the factors affecting the volume of oil trade in the corridors in the current period and till 2040 perspective is sought through the gravity approach and using the panel data model in the period (2008- 2020). Reviewed oil trade flows of the area include: Middle East-Southeast Asia, Middle East-China, Middle East-Japan, Middle East-Europe, Middle East-India, Middle East-Singapore, Middle East-Africa, Middle East-Australia, Russia and CIS-India and Russia and CIS-Middle East. The required data were acquired from IEA, BP and WDI databases. The results obtained from this model reveal that the variables affecting oil trade between countries include the amount of GDP of the importing country, the share of oil in the energy consumption of exporting countries, and the share of oil in the energy consumption of importing countries. On the horizon of 2040, the Middle East-China oil trade is projected to rank first, the Middle East-Southeast Asia oil trade to be ranked second, and the Middle East-India oil trade to be ranked third. JEL Classification: N70, F13, Q48. Keywords: Oil Corridors, Oil Trade Flows, Energy Hub, Gravity Model, Oil Trade Outlook.