With few captains willing to brave the Strait of Hormuz as war rages around the Gulf, companies will have to do business without one of the world¡¯s most vital shipping lanes, especially for oil and gas.

The strait is especially key to the world energy markets, with around 20% of global seaborne oil passing through.

That said, analysts believe that cutting off access, as Iran has threatened to do, will not affect the major Asia-Europe shipping route, with the Gulf ending in a cul-de-sac by the shores of Kuwait, Iraq and Iran.