A Lawless Frontier

Traffickers and dumpers, pirates and mercenaries, wreck thieves and repo men, vigilante conservationists and elusive poachers, shackled slaves and cast-adrift stowaways—home to gritty characters and urgent concerns, the high seas are a realm in dire need of investigative journalism.

Featured Investigations

Our journalism is distinct not just in its focus, but also in how the reporting is conducted and distributed. Most of the stories are reported at least partially at sea. We partner with dozens of outlets around the world to translate and disseminate our reporting as broadly as possible.

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  • The Economist
  • The New Yorker
  • NBC News
  • Christian Science Monitor
  • Los Angeles Times
  • Yahoo! News
  • NPR
  • MSNBC
  • CNN
  • Columbia Journalism Review
  • Democracy Now
  • Crooked
  • Radio Kingston
  • KCRW
  • The Guardian
  • Alqatiba
  • UDN
  • Yahoo! Taiwan
  • El Diario
  • El País
  • Meduza
  • AD
  • El Sol de Mexico
  • Rock101
  • Millenium Magazine
  • Caravan India
  • Expreso
  • Cerosetenta
  • El Desconcierto
  • Clarín
  • Twala

Beyond Traditional Journalism

To reach a younger and more international audience, we leverage non-news platforms, collaborating with artists to convert our reporting into other forms such as music, animation, mural art, stage performance, and podcasts.

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Short Film Series

Dispatches from
The Outlaw Ocean

This 10-part short film series chronicles a gritty cast of characters including traffickers and smugglers, pirates and mercenaries, shackled slaves and vigilante conservationists.

Watch the series
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Mural Project

Muralists from around the globe have leveraged their talents to amplify the stories we report through imagery that is at once captivating and critical.

View the Murals
The Outlaw Ocean Music Project

Music Project

Launched in 2020, this project is a global effort to collaborate with musicians for the purpose of disseminating our reporting to a younger and more diverse audience.

Listen to the Music