What One Report Can Do

In January, SeaLight published an investigation that made a huge impact in the Philippines. A single Chinese-origin dredger had spent more than two years operating in Manila Bay while broadcasting at least 30 different vessel identities under six different flag states. It was hiding in plain sight -- and a symptom of a much deeper issue.

Within days of our report, President Ferdinand Marcos ordered the Philippine Coast Guard to board and inspect every dredger in Manila Bay. Twenty-seven vessels were investigated. Documentation, safety equipment and tracking systems were forced into compliance. 

Philippine Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan later formally welcomed me to his headquarters to express appreciation for SeaLight's work.

That is what a small, volunteer-led maritime transparency project — funded by supporters like you — can accomplish.

Why This Work Matters Now

The world is waking up to why maritime transparency is not a niche concern. When vessels operate in the shadows — switching identities, evading sanctions, moving illicit cargo — the consequences reach far beyond any single country:

• Coastal communities lose fisheries, livelihoods and control over their waters
• Democratic institutions are eroded by influence operations designed to corrupt institutions
• Rule-of-law frameworks lose credibility when illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive violations pass unnoticed
• Humanitarian protections for civilians caught in blockades and conflict depend on rigorous open-source documentation

SeaLight exists at the intersection of all of these. We track ships, expose political-warfare networks, train the next generation of open-source investigators and partner with like-minded governments and civil-society institutions to make sure the work is rigorous, durable and impactful.

That work has consequences. Since January, the Chinese Embassy in Manila has issued a continuous stream of formal attacks against SeaLight — targeting our investigations, our partners and my own published columns. Their goal is unmistakable: intimidate critics, narrow democratic debate, and raise the cost of telling the truth.

The asymmetry between our small, volunteer-led non-profit and Beijing's state-led, state-resourced information operations machinery is real -- but so is what we have that they don't: independence, credibility, and a global community of supporters who refuse to look away.

The Opportunity: $25,000 ... Doubled!

A generous founding-level donor has pledged $25,000 in matching funds to amplify every gift SeaLight receives.

Every $50 you give becomes $100. Every $500 becomes $1,000. Every $5,000 becomes $10,000.

The goal: unlock the full $50,000 in combined impact and fuel SeaLight's next wave of investigations, expand our intern pipeline, and keep our independent voice in the fight.

→ Donate now — every gift doubled

What Your Support Has Built in 2026

In just the first months of this year, powered by donors like you, SeaLight has:

Triggered Philippine government action — our Manila Bay dredger exposé led to a presidential directive and a fleetwide Coast Guard inspection.

Powered Project Bunyag — our initiative exposing how the Chinese Communist Party integrates maritime coercion at sea with United Front Work Department-led political warfare on land has changed the discussion in the Philippines and beyond!

Published landmark investigations in publications like The Diplomat, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute's Strategist, plus an in-depth, peer-reviewed report for the Stratbase Albert del Rosario Institute.

Tracked China's newest artificial island at Antelope Reef in the Paracel Islands — the first detailed open-source data visualization of the paramilitary cordon shielding the dredging operation.

Contributed to major international reporting — including Wall Street Journal coverage of the seized Iranian-flagged MV Touska and its links to Chinese ports, and direct citations by major international media, including Fox News, Newsweek and Radio Free Asia.

Launched our first Maritime Open-Source Intelligence Research Internship — two new researchers are already investigating illegal Chinese fishing fleets off Vietnam and the Manila Bay dredging fleet.

Forged new academic research partnerships with scholars at Stanford's Center for International Security and Cooperation and the Australian National University.

None of this came from government grants. It came from supporters like you.

What Your Doubled Gift Will Fund

Lighthouse Challenge funds go directly toward:

Investigations into maritime coercion, dark-fleet sanctions evasion and political warfare networks.

Project Bunyag expansion — including the Philippines chapter SeaLight has been invited to author for a major scholarly volume on China's United Front Work Department in Southeast Asia.

Our Maritime OSINT Internship Program, which has started training the next generation of open-source investigators.

Tools and capacity — vessel tracking, satellite imagery, geospatial analysis and the technical infrastructure that makes rigorous transparency reporting possible.

A rebuilt SeaLight.live website, launching in the coming months, making our work more accessible to journalists, policymakers and the public.

How to Give

Donate online — every dollar doubled:
→ Give to the Lighthouse Challenge

Or to avoid the online transaction fees, mail a check payable to SeaLight Foundation:
SeaLight Foundation · 2108 N St #8588 · Sacramento, CA 95816

Share this post — put SeaLight in front of one more person who cares about maritime transparency, the rule of law or the future of a free-and-open Indo-Pacific.

A Lighthouse Stands Firm

A lighthouse doesn't argue with the darkness. It doesn't negotiate with the storm. It simply refuses to go dark.

With your help, neither will we.

Double the light. Double the impact. Join the Lighthouse Challenge today!

→ Donate Now

The SeaLight Foundation is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity (EIN: 33-4132978). Contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law under IRC Section 170.