About & FAQ
The Strait of Hormuz carries about a fifth of the world’s oil supply through a shipping lane only a couple of miles wide at its narrowest. When it’s disrupted, the effects can reach ordinary people — at the gas pump, in the stock market, and in a 401(k) — often before the news has caught up. Landfall exists to make that early warning legible to a regular person, not just to a shipping analyst.
A lighthouse, not an oracle
This is the rule that governs everything here. A lighthouse makes a hazard visible so you can navigate; it doesn’t tell you where to sail. Landfall shows the current state and whether it’s changing — never a prediction of what happens next, and never a recommendation to buy or sell. If a tool like this ever tells you it knows what the market will do, it’s lying.
Who it’s for
Mostly regular investors — people with some stocks or funds, or a retirement account, who are following the crisis loosely and want an at-a-glance read on whether to pay closer attention. You don’t need any background in oil, shipping, or finance; every indicator comes with a plain-language “what is this?” explainer. Curious news-followers, and finance readers who want to pick the methodology apart, are welcome too — which is why the methodology and source health are shown openly.
A tip of the hat
Landfall was inspired in part by Mr. Global. Matt Randolph — Mr. Global — is a co-founder of Sentinel Energy and a former Shell expert who, despite a long career in traditional oil and gas, openly acknowledges climate change. He’s become an internet educator who debunks political misinformation, breaks down energy policy, and explains how global oil markets actually work.
Common questions
Is this financial advice?
No. Landfall is an informational tool. It doesn’t give personalized recommendations, name price targets, or tell anyone to buy or sell. Nothing here should be treated as advice, and it isn’t a substitute for a licensed professional who knows your situation.
Does it predict a crash or an oil spike?
No. There are no forecasts anywhere on the page. When we project the supply-buffer trend a few weeks out, it’s labeled as a simple extension of the recent trend — an estimate for context, not a prediction.
How fresh is the data?
The pipeline refreshes every 15 minutes, around the clock. But each source has its own natural pace — the news feed updates continuously, most macro data daily, and the supply buffer weekly. Every card shows its own “as of” time, and a source-health row at the bottom of the dashboard shows which feeds are live, lagging, or down.
Is it free?
Yes, completely, with no account required. It’s built entirely on free public data sources — no paywalled feeds, no logins, no ads.
Why are the ships on the map not real?
No free data source reliably tracks individual vessels inside the Persian Gulf, so we don’t fake it. The moving dots are an illustration scaled to the real transit count and labeled as such. The GPS-jamming heatmap underneath them, on the other hand, is real per-location data.
Who made this?
Landfall is an independent project. Questions, corrections, and source suggestions are genuinely welcome — see the contact page.