Methodology
Verification process
Before we publish anything, we collect evidence and we verify it. Every claim grounded in primary sources and triangulated across independent records.
Workflow
From tip to published report
- 01
Source intake
Tips arrive via the submission form, encrypted email, or signal from established contacts. Every tip is logged with a tracking ID and triaged by a single editor before anyone else sees it.
- 02
Document acquisition
For each tip we identify primary sources: AIS tracks, corporate filings, port logs, OFAC SDN records, court records, customs data, leaked documents. We capture and timestamp every artefact in our internal archive.
- 03
Triangulation
A claim moves forward only when at least two independent primary sources corroborate it. AIS data is cross-checked against satellite imagery; corporate links against multiple jurisdictional registries; financial flows against bank records or filings.
- 04
Right of reply
Named individuals and entities are given a meaningful window to respond before publication, except in cases where doing so would compromise a source or an active report.
- 05
Publication & sourcing
Every report publishes with an inline sources list. Where a source must be protected, we say so and describe the document’s nature without revealing identifying detail.
- 06
Corrections
Errors get a dated correction at the top of the article, not a silent edit. We name what changed and why.
Sources & tools
What we use
A non-exhaustive list of the data sources and tools we rely on. Specific source attribution always appears inline on the report itself.
Tool
AIS vessel tracking
MarineTraffic, VesselFinder, raw AIS feeds
Tool
Sanctions screening
OFAC SDN, UK OFSI, EU consolidated list
Tool
Corporate registries
OpenCorporates, jurisdiction-specific registries
Tool
Satellite imagery
Sentinel-2, Planet, commercial providers
Tool
Financial filings
SEC EDGAR, court filings, leaked banking records
Tool
Geospatial
QGIS, custom Python pipelines for AIS interpolation