Data Desk
Sam Leon and Louis Goddard founded Data Desk in 2022 to produce investigative research and analysis on the global oil and gas industry for NGOs, think tanks and media organisations.
We invest in premium industry data and market intelligence, then use it to uncover hidden risks in the fossil energy system.
A synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image of the Straits of Malacca
Our Approach
Drawing on over 20 years’ experience investigating the global commodities industry, we find what’s hidden, explain what’s complex and tell the stories that matter.
Our approach to finding and developing stories is unique. It involves the latest industry knowledge, a deep understanding of the key datasets — satellite imagery, commodity tracking, leaks and other alternative data sources — and the technical skills to tame and interrogate them.
A methane plume being emitted from a docked LNG tanker
Unreported Risks
Our methodology gives our clients eyes on key risks in oil and gas supply chains.
We help clients source the very best commercial and open-source data for their campaigns, act as trusted advisors in its interpretation and verify it using other sources, whether that’s customs records, high-resolution satellite imagery or a close reading of obscure regulatory filings.
An synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image of the Panama Canal
Our Work
We’ve worked on major stories published by The Washington Post, The Guardian, Bloomberg, Le Monde, The Times of London and Der Spiegel, among others. In 2024 we:
- Identified sanctions-busting shipments of jet fuel to Myanmar via a Vietnamese tank terminal
- Traced the supply chain for high-sulphur fuels shipped to West Africa, revealing a Belgian blending facility with links to Russia and the UK
- Exposed how tankers shipping Russian liquefied natural gas are ultimately owned by US public pension funds
The Arctic LNG 2 project, Yamalo-Nenets, Russian Federation