Whats Going on with Shipping
@wgowshipping·697K subscribers·1.2K videos
Why the Strait of Hormuz is Not "Irrelevant": A Response to Secretary Bessent
Posted
August 9, 2026
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195,142
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13,648
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August 9, 2026
195,142
13,648
3,027
8.55%
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22:04Now PlayingIs the Strait of Hormuz truly becoming the "Strait of Irrelevance"? In this episode, Sal Mercogliano breaks down recent comments from the Secretary of the Treasury regarding the future of Persian Gulf shipping and explains why the reality on the water tells a very different story.
⚓The "Irrelevance" Argument: Analyzing the claim that underground pipelines will soon replace 50-70% of the energy moving through the Strait.
⚓The Pipeline Problem: Why moving oil is easy, but moving LNG, LPG, and bulk fertilizer requires ships that pipelines simply can't replace.
⚓Traffic by the Numbers: A deep dive into the latest UKMTO reports showing a 90% drop in AIS-detected transits since the conflict began.
⚓The US "Dark Fleet": How the United States and its allies are using covert ship-to-ship transfers in the Gulf of Oman to bypass the blockade.
⚓Geopolitical Stakes: The dangerous precedent of allowing a nation to control a maritime choke point and what it means for the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
⚓The Multi-Dimensional Threat: Connecting the dots between Iranian actions in Hormuz, Houthi activity in the Red Sea, and the rise of piracy in the Gulf of Aden.
Contact What's Going on With Shipping via:
Patreon: www.patreon.com/wgowshipping
Twitter: @mercoglianos
Bluesky: @mercoglianos.bsky.social
Facebook: @wgowshipping
Email: mercoglianosal@gmail.com
UKMTO Weekly Voluntary Reporting Area
UNCTAD: Strait of Hormuz Disruptions
Washington Institute Maritime Attacks in the MENA Region
Tanker Trackers
Laman
Rory Johnson
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