LIGHT SHIPS: ILLUMINATING A BRIGHTER OCEAN FUTURE
We're building a platform to transform global boats into a real-time ocean intelligence network that serves island nations, commerce and conservation.
THE PROBLEM: Dark Vessels
LIGHT SHIPS
WHY LIGHT SHIPS NOW
The oceans are going transparent. Ports, buyers, and especially insurers are shifting from "trust me" paperwork to data you can actually verify—who was where, when, doing what. Instead of the outlaw ocean where willful blindness allows rogue ships to blow through fish stocks and traffic in arms, slavery and drugs, the tide is turning towards a culture of transparency to safeguard marine ecosystems: the primary protein store for many coastal nations and a cornerstone of a healthy planet.
In the new, brighter ocean, responsible boats will move faster through due diligence, avoid reputational risk, and unlock better commercial relationships. The incentives are aligning for Light Ships to support good actors to stand out as ocean guardians who, with AI route guidance, save 3-6% on fuel and time.
Each Light Ship has a LitePod— a simple, clamp-on kit with clear dashboards for operators and coastal partners. LitePods, roughly the size of carry-on luggage, will gather real-time data on everything from water temperature and marine life to vessel emissions through plug-and-play sensor/compute units designed for easy installs. Once on board, the boat becomes a beacon, illuminating their own activity and collecting simple, yet important data to help measure the health of our oceans, the impacts of vessels and the food security of partner nations.
We plan to offer the LitePod and Ocean Sync SaaS dashboard at a deep discount to encourage broad adoption—knowing that our growing ocean data layer will increase in value over time. The model scales elegantly: As more boats light up, blind spots shrink and data quality compounds—strengthening the "Light Ship Certified" mark and creating a flywheel for growth.
But here's what will make us different: every bit of data flows freely to Indigenous and Pacific Island partners first, through our planned Koha commitment. eDNA is collected in line with CARE principles (Collective benefit, Authority to control, Responsibility, and Ethics)—ensuring data sovereignty and community benefit.
Why Now: Technology Convergence
Four breakthroughs make Light Ships possible today
Edge AI
Ship-Ready
Bioacoustics
Breakthrough
Global Ocean
Connectivity
AI Weather
Forecasting
Five years ago, this would have been impossible. Today, it's inevitable.
Choose Your Pack
Planned modular design lets operators start simple and upgrade as needed
CORE Pack
GPS, surface temperature + salinity mini-sensor, sea sensors, edge AI, global connectivity
Target Impact: 3-5% fuel savings and basic ocean monitoring
Research Pack
Scientific sensors, current profilers, water quality monitoring
Target Impact: Science-grade data for reef and biodiversity protection
Compliance Pack
Emissions monitoring, regulatory reporting, carbon tracking
Target Impact: Auditable emissions data for decarbonization goals
Comms Upgrade
High-bandwidth satellite, real-time data streaming
Target Impact: Real-time alerts for maritime security and emergencies
Market Landscape
The ocean monitoring world is full of point solutions. Route optimization platforms like ZeroNorth, StormGeo, and Wärtsilä Voyage help shipping companies reduce fuel consumption by 3-6%, while AI navigation systems from Orca AI and Sea.AI prevent collisions. Autonomous surface vehicles from Saildrone, XOCEAN, and Open Ocean Robotics map vast ocean areas, collecting scientific data that would be impossible to gather manually.
Satellite-based services dominate vessel tracking—Spire Maritime and ORBCOMM/Kpler provide real-time AIS data, while companies like HawkEye 360 and Unseenlabs detect radio frequency signals to spot vessels operating "dark." Global Fishing Watch and their Skylight platform have revolutionized fisheries monitoring by combining satellite imagery with machine learning. Meanwhile, Kongsberg Vessel Insight creates comprehensive ship-to-cloud data pipelines for large commercial fleets.
Our planned edge: attachable kits with best in class tech + ocean state partnerships + biodiversity-credit-ready data + fuel and time savings. We partner where mature solutions exist and compete on ocean integrity and equity.
Market Position
Commercial Potential vs Ethical/Sovereignty Impact
ILLUMINATION THROUGH PARTNERSHIP
Boat owners & captains
- Stand out as "good actors" with a simple Light Ship Certified mark and verifiable voyages.
- Faster port/buyer checks and practical ops gains (fuel/time savings) with no yard time.
Insurers (carriers, syndicates, reinsurers)
- Clear risk signals (who/where/when; anomaly & protected-area proximity) for pricing and claims.
- New green products/endorsements and better portfolio optics with auditable data.
Island state partners
- Free, real-time coastal dashboards that shrink blind spots and support targeted enforcement.
- Local jobs and capacity building, with data governance and optional local hosting.
New Zealand Government (MPI, NIWA, DOC; ports)
- National leadership on transparent, evidence-based ocean operations; exportable regional model.
- Better compliance/resource management and smoother, lower-risk port due diligence.
Scientists (universities, NIWA, SOI)
- Consented in-situ time series in nearshore "data deserts," aligned to recognized variables.
- Low-friction access (CSV/Parquet + metadata) and opportunities for joint validation/studies.
Conservationists (NGOs, community orgs)
- Continuous visibility that deters illegal fishing and documents reef/protected-area pressure.
- Community dashboards return value locally and power credible policy & storytelling.
Revenue Growth Trajectory
Revenue Growth (NZ$ Millions)
Projected revenue growth from 2027-2040
LIGHT SHIPS FOUNDER: Shannon Service
Shannon has spent twenty years at the intersection of oceans, security, human rights and environmental justice, advising the U.S. Coast Guard, Customs and Border Patrol, and the U.S. State Department, as well as governments across Southeast Asia. She has spoken on ocean health and maritime security the United Nations, APEC and UN Human Rights commission.
As an Edward R. Murrow award-winning investigative reporter, she helped expose slavery on fishing boats—work that became an Emmy-nominated documentary that toured Sundance, Berlin, and Toronto film festivals before landing on Amazon, Delta Airlines and Apple TV.
Light Ships is the next chapter—turning years of deep reporting, high-level advising, and global partnerships into a platform that serves the ocean, the people who depend on it, and future generations.
APPENDIX A: ROADMAP
Phase 1 — Build & validate the MVP (budget $750k)
What happens:
Finish the LitePod v1 (clamp-on, no yard time), stand up the dashboard, wire in partner feeds, and run a tightly scoped field validation with 5—8 boats in one geography. MVP includes GNSS/IMU, barometric pressure + air temp/humidity, SST, encrypted edge storage, LTE + low-rate satellite "events not firehoses," clean install docs.
Why $750k:
Team & build ($400k), hardware/test ($140k), cloud/feeds ($60k), field ops ($40k), legal/governance ($30k), contingency ($80—100k). Exit: <2-hour installs, >95% uptime, satcom cost/event in bounds, stable dashboards, insurer/port LOI.
Phase 2 — Multi-site pilot & first revenue signals (budget $1.2M)
What happens:
Expand to 25—40 vessels across two sites, run 8—12-week pilots, and launch Light Ship Certified. Keep hardware near cost; begin selling aggregated "Integrity Signals" to 2—3 enterprise buyers on paid-pilot terms.
Why $1.2M:
Implementation/support ($300k); working capital for 35 units at near-cost ($150—200k); pilot OPEX ($125—175k); data/AI (enterprise APIs, "Met layer" QC; ~ $150—200k); GTM/case studies ($150k); cloud/security ($100k); legal/admin ($50k); contingency ($150k). Exit: ≥30 active boats, first enterprise contracts, documented insurer/port incentives.
Phase 3 — Regional scale & data flywheel (budget $3.0—$4.0M)
What happens:
Scale to 150—200 vessels across 2—3 basins, add a channel (install partners/shipyards/gear shops), and convert pilots into recurring SaaS + data (4—6 enterprise customers across insurance/ports/brands). Stand up security/compliance (SOC2/ISO roadmap) and a regional support hub.
Why $3—4M:
People/runway (18—24 mo), manufacturing/working capital for 250—300 units (near-cost strategy; 2% replacements), production-tier data/compute, GTM/channel enablement, security/compliance, contingency. Exit: break-even path visible (~69 vessels cover base platform OPEX on SaaS contribution alone), churn <5%, repeatable <1-day installs.
Light Ships — Financial Tables
Assumptions: Blended ARPU $3,000; Variable OPEX $1,400/vessel/yr; Hardware $2,950 near-cost; Fixed Base $110,000. Enterprise data includes +$25k/deal 'Met layer' from 2027+, contingent on coverage/QC. Hardware units = net adds + 2% annual replacements of installed base.
2027—2032 (Base)
| Year | Vessels (EOY) | SaaS ARR | Enterprise Data | Hardware Revenue | Total Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 5 | $15,000 | $0 | $14,750 | $29,750 |
| 2028 | 60 | $180,000 | $200,000 | $162,250 | $542,250 |
| 2029 | 150 | $450,000 | $700,000 | $268,450 | $1,418,450 |
| 2030 | 350 | $1,050,000 | $1,350,000 | $598,850 | $2,998,850 |
| 2031 | 700 | $2,100,000 | $2,200,000 | $1,053,150 | $5,353,150 |
| 2032 | 1,200 | $3,600,000 | $3,250,000 | $1,516,300 | $8,366,300 |
2033—2042 (Base, indicative)
| Year | Vessels (EOY) | SaaS ARR | Enterprise Data | Hardware Revenue | Total Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2033 | 1,700 | $5,100,000 | $4,140,000 | $1,545,800 | $10,785,800 |
| 2034 | 2,300 | $6,900,000 | $5,110,000 | $1,870,300 | $13,880,300 |
| 2035 | 3,000 | $9,000,000 | $6,160,000 | $2,200,700 | $17,360,700 |
| 2036 | 3,800 | $11,400,000 | $7,290,000 | $2,537,000 | $21,227,000 |
| 2037 | 4,700 | $14,100,000 | $8,500,000 | $2,879,200 | $25,479,200 |
| 2038 | 5,600 | $16,800,000 | $9,790,000 | $2,932,300 | $29,522,300 |
| 2039 | 6,500 | $19,500,000 | $11,400,000 | $2,985,400 | $33,885,400 |
| 2040 | 7,200 | $21,600,000 | $13,650,000 | $2,448,500 | $37,698,500 |
| 2041 | 7,800 | $23,400,000 | $16,100,000 | $2,194,800 | $41,694,800 |
| 2042 | 8,400 | $25,200,000 | $18,750,000 | $2,230,200 | $46,180,200 |
Break-even reference: contribution/vessel = $1,600; Fixed $110,000 → ~69 vessels to BE (SaaS alone).
Join us to:
• Fund Pacific-led maritime resilience
• Build sovereign climate infrastructure
• Shape ocean AI that honors Indigenous stewardship while building a profitable, world-changing company