Reporter Mark Schapiro conducted a year long investigation into the sinking of the oiltanker Prestige last year off the coast of Spain, which spilled nearly twice as much oil as the Exxon Valdez in Alaska. This 20-minute documentary helps unveil the tangled web of responsibility behind the historic environmental catastrophe. It also provides a rare glimpse behind the scenes of the international maritime system that enables an enfeebled tanker such as the Prestige — and many others like it — to continue operating on the high seas.

“The Lawless Sea” will be broadcast on FRONTLINE/World, Thursday, January 8 on PBS 9pm in the San Francisco Bay Area on KQED 9 .