How to Protect Your Supply Chain from Global Disruptions
Supply Chain Unchained
A maritime historian, former merchant mariner, and professor with 600,000 YouTube subscribers explains why disruption is the new normal, what the Strait of Hormuz crisis means beyond oil, and what supply chain managers should be doing right now.
Black swan events are supposed to be rare. So why does it feel like they never stop? In this episode, Greg sits down with Sal Mercogliano, professor at Campbell University, adjunct lecturer at the US Merchant Marine Academy, and creator of the YouTube channel “What’s Going On With Shipping?” with over 600,000 subscribers, to explore why global supply chain disruptions are becoming more frequent, more severe, and more far-reaching than ever before.
Sal brings a perspective no one else on this podcast has offered: that of a maritime historian who has also sailed as a merchant mariner, studied naval history at PhD level, and spent five years building one of the most-watched shipping commentary channels in the world. The conversation covers the Strait of Hormuz crisis, the commodities most people are not watching, what supply chain managers should be doing right now, and what to look for in a freight forwarder when the world stops making sense.
What We Cover
- Why black swan events are no longer rare: the volume and velocity of global trade has increased so dramatically since World War II that any disruption now resonates throughout the entire system
- The supply web vs the supply chain, why the traditional “weakest link” framing undersells how interconnected and fragile modern trade networks actually are
- What the Strait of Hormuz closure means beyond oil: LNG, LPG, helium, sulfur, and fertilizer are all at risk, with impacts on food production that will not be felt until next year
- Why bunker fuel costs are rising for every vessel on every trade lane, not just those transiting the Persian Gulf
- The delayed shock effect, why countries like Australia and the UK that felt insulated in the first weeks are only now beginning to see the real impact
- How to read the warning signs before the next disruption, what signals were visible before the Red Sea crisis, and what was already visible before the Strait of Hormuz closed
- The case for supply chain diversification, why concentrating everything through one port, one route, or one source is a structural vulnerability that only reveals itself in a crisis
- What to do right now if you are a supply chain manager: hold where you can, diversify where you cannot, and build relationships before you need them
- General average, force majeure, and cargo insurance, why now is exactly the time to review your cover
- What to look for in a freight forwarder in a disrupted market: contingency planning experience, carrier relationships, 24/7 availability, and the ability to change on the fly
- Why freight is still fundamentally a relationship business, and why technology alone will not get your box out of the wrong port
Guest
Salvatore Mercogliano
Professor, Campbell University
Adjunct Lecturer, US Merchant Marine Academy. Creator, “What’s Going On With Shipping?” YouTube channel (600,000+ subscribers). Former merchant mariner, 7 years at sea. PhD in Military and Naval History
“Black swan events, which are supposed to be these rare things, are happening all the time. I would argue that because we changed the way we do business, we’ve increased the volume and velocity that we move goods on the world’s oceans. When we have disruptions, they tend to be much more disruptive.”
Sal Mercogliano, Professor, Campbell University
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