Sal Mercogliano
Sal Mercogliano is a maritime historian, a professor at Campbell University and former merchant mariner, and the host of the YouTube channel What's Going on With Shipping?, which covers merchant shipping, naval logistics and the security of the sea lanes. In a war being fought over tankers, chokepoints and blockades, he is the roster's only vessel-level specialist: where other analysts argue about strategy, he works out what actually happened to a particular ship on a particular day.
Where they stand
A short read of where Sal Mercogliano lands on each front we follow, drawn from their recent appearances and refreshed whenever they turn up in a debrief.
Iran
Iran is sinking and damaging ships and has moved to limpet-mine attacks, but much viral footage is mislabeled and no ship is known to have hit a mine
as of 2026-11-01
Ukraine & Russia
The Black Sea is now as dangerous as Hormuz, and attacks are spreading toward NATO waters
as of 2026-11-01
East Asia
China dominates world shipbuilding; even Maersk is ordering from Chinese yards
as of 2026-11-01
American power
The US Navy is overstretched: under 300 ships, destroyers' maintenance cycles wrecked by the blockade, and allies are not helping enough
as of 2026-10-25
The global economy
Hormuz remains the top shipping risk: oil still flows but refined products, LNG and fertilizer are largely absent, and tankers run while the money justifies it
as of 2026-11-01
Recent appearances
What the Ship (Ep 150): Global Shipbuilding Boom, Dock Strike & Chokepoint Attacks
What's Going on With Shipping? (Sal Mercogliano) · 2026-11-01
2026-10-29 · What's Going on With Shipping? (Sal Mercogliano)watch ↗
Russian Diesel Heads to the U.S. Amid Black Sea Drone Strikes Off NATO Countries
2026-10-25 · Mario Nawfalwatch ↗
IRAN SEABORNE OIL REVENUE TO HIT ZERO NEXT MONTH, IRGC BOMB SHIPS DAILY – w/ Sal Mercogliano
2026-10-23 · What's Going on With Shipping?watch ↗
The Hormuz Disinformation War: Inside the Latest Tanker Attacks
2026-10-18 · What's Going on With Shipping?watch ↗
Why U.S. Shipbuilding Is Failing the American Merchant Marine
2026-10-15 · What's Going on With Shipping? (Sal Mercogliano)watch ↗
What*The*Hormuz: Iron Bottom Strait – Container Ship Sunk in Hormuz
2026-10-12 · What's Going on With Shipping?watch ↗
Inside the Hormuz Attacks: Separating Fact from Fiction
Earlier appearances (14)
2026-10-10 · What's Going on With Shipping?watch ↗
What the Ship (Ep 149): Hormuz Strikes, Black Sea Escalation, Surging Tanker Rates & Ammonia Bulker
2026-10-07 · What's Going on With Shipping? (Sal Mercogliano)watch ↗
Maritime Security Complexes: The Future of Global Seapower
2026-10-05 · What's Going on With Shipping? (Sal Mercogliano)watch ↗
What*The*Hormuz: No Lights, No Radio: Inside a Supertanker’s Hormuz Run
2026-10-03 · What's Going on With Shipping? (Sal Mercogliano)watch ↗
What the Ship: Hormuz Attacks Escalate as Container Lines Return to Suez
2026-09-30 · Mario Nawfalwatch ↗
IRAN HITS 3 TANKERS IN HORMUZ: 'AMERICA DOES NOT RESPOND' – w/ Sal Mercogliano
2026-09-29 · What's Going on With Shipping?watch ↗
W*T*H: Did the U.S. Military Turn a Civilian Freighter into an Armed Escort?
2026-09-25 · What's Going on With Shipping?watch ↗
Inside the 2026 tanker war: Hormuz strikes, soaring rates and diesel shortages
2026-09-19 · What's Going on With Shipping?watch ↗
Are commercial ships being targeted by cyber attacks? A maritime cyber security deep dive
2026-09-13 · What's Going on With Shipping?watch ↗
The seizure of Bab el-Mandeb: why tanker rates are exploding
2026-09-09 · What's Going on With Shipping?watch ↗
Is oil blocked or flowing? (w/ Samir Madani of TankerTrackers)
2026-09-08 · What's Going on With Shipping?watch ↗
Russian shipping is being targeted in the Mediterranean
2026-09-08 · What's Going on With Shipping?watch ↗
US strikes Iranian tankers: what the footage actually shows
2026-09-05 · What's Going on With Shipping?watch ↗
US strikes three oil tankers after Iran targets two US Navy warships
2026-09-04 · What's Going on With Shipping?watch ↗
The Siege of the Strait: are Iranian tankers the next front?