It happens with more frequency than one would assume.

Discusses sea lanes and straits, along with their strategic and commercial importance. Conflict potential and actual conflicts, along with other security threats, surround these areas. This article discusses sea lanes and related areas which are particularly prone to this, in particular, the Strait of Hormuz, the Strait of Malacca, the Turkish Straits, the Bab el-Mandeb, along with the South China Sea and the Northwest Passage.