The normal traffic lanes appear to be closed and shipping vessels halted.

On either side of the Strait, of the coast of Dubai and Fujairah, maritime traffic website MarineTraffic.com, shows dozens of ships waiting for passage.

The narrow Strait of Hormuz is considered one of the most, if not the most strategic strait of water on the planet. Through its waters, in giant ocean-going tankers, passes much of the oil from Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

It is unclear, at the time of this report what the cause of the blockage is however some speculate it may be related to Iran's capture and release of the US Sailors on Wednesday.