Dispatches from The Outlaw Ocean Episode 5: Raiders of the Deep

The Greenpeace ship Esperanza deploys a submersible off Brazil (Fabio Nascimento / Outlaw Ocean Project)

PUBLISHED MAY 15, 2023 11:01 PM BY IAN URBINA

 

This episode is the fifth installment in a 10-part short film series from The Outlaw Ocean Project. It stems from more than a decade of reporting by Ian Urbina exploring crime on the high seas. The series chronicles a gritty cast of characters including traffickers and smugglers, pirates and mercenaries, shackled slaves and vigilante conservationists.

The deep ocean floor is our planet’s final frontier. It is also the most hostile environment on Earth. Scientists have yet to discover what lives in its profound ecosystems, but governments and corporations, driven by the green economy, are already tussling over its riches. Beyond regulation and independent oversight, a gold rush like no other has begun.

In this episode Ian Urbina joins Greenpeace in their race against time to locate and protect a fragile coral reef near the mouth of the Amazon River before government-approved drilling begins.