British military ships escort the Smyrtos, which has been linked to Russia's shadow fleet. Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images With more than 80% of global trade by volume being transported by sea, maritime shipping lanes are indispensable to the world economy. That fact was starkly illustrated by the war in Iran, which saw Tehran effectively close the Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic and Washington respond with a blockade of Iranian ports. Yet such recent events are an aberration from much of t