Deep Seas Services
Nothing more than a Spy Network meant to gather information, they ply their trade as a merchant company as their cover. Making Coin, and getting an in on Southweg's production and actions at home. In this manner, we can slowly infiltrate them, and learn of what projects they are working on ahead of time.
To this manner, they will need to disguise themselves as being from another nation, but some paperwork should serve there. Trade is ever prosperous, and once they have the basics set up, they should be able to get an in.
By that same manner however, is the other half. Pirates who will plunder the trade of other merchants seeking the same. In this manner, we simply need to contract out to those looking to make a quicker coin than what is normal, privateers who can use the info we gather to strike at those bringing in needed metals and other supplies, which can then be traded back to further boost Deep Seas Services' reputation.
Gain insight on what they've been doing and made during their phase on the next phase. Design Phase, we learn on the Revision Phase. Revision Phase action, we learn on the Production & Deployment Phase. Production and deployment, we learn on the next Design Phase.
Success may vary, mind you. It also only let's us see things from the civilian point of view, and the trade list of what they need to gain insight.
The other half is the potential to gain influence in Southweg, eventually allowing us to mess with them later on. And being able to undermine them with the pirates(privateers) taking needed stuff from their merchant ships. We can slip them a few Naval techs to help out, outdated stuff.
Ninja!
Anyway, spies. Merchant Spies. And hiring Privateers to make use of that info to steal stuff from incoming merchants to Southweg, which we can then take some of, letting the Privateers keep the rest since they earned it, and sell to them through Deep Seas Services.