A riveting, adrenalin-fuelled tour of the unbridled extremes of human behaviour and activity in that vast, lawless and rampantly criminal world that few have ever seen- the high seas.

'Just incredible' Naomi Klein
'Gripping and shocking...with the pace of a thriller' The Times

A New York Times bestseller, The Outlaw Ocean is a riveting, adrenalin-fuelled tour of a vast, lawless and rampantly criminal world that few have ever seen- the high seas.

The oceans are some of the last untamed frontiers on our planet.

Too big to police, and under no clear international authority, these treacherous waters play host to the extremes of human behaviour and activity.

From traffickers, smugglers and pirates to vigilante conservationists, stowaways and seabound abortion-providers, Ian Urbina introduces us to the inhabitants of this hidden world and their risk-fraught lives. Through their extraordinary stories, he uncovers a globe-spanning network of crime and exploitation that emanates from the fishing, oil and shipping industries - but to which all of us are connected.

LONGLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE 2019

'An astonishing book about a world most of us don't even know exists' Oliver Bullough, author of Moneyland

'An outstanding investigation of a global criminal culture on the high seas' Guardian

'Truly important... A complex portrait of an unseen and disturbing world' New York Times