[1] Topics covered include illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, modern slavery and violent crime committed at sea, as well of the work of organisations, governments and companies in international waters.

The Outlaw Ocean is structured as a series of essays about lawlessness at sea with each chapter covering a different aspect and case studies.

[9][10] Urbina also established The Outlaw Ocean Project, a non-profit journalism organisation to produce further stories about maritime crime.

[11] A film adaptation of Urbina's reporting is in development by Netflix, set to be produced by Leonardo DiCaprio.

[12] In 2022 CBC Radio and the LA Times released a seven-part podcast called The Outlaw Ocean, featuring Urbina's reportage.