Episode Information

The world is running out of oil, but one mega-tanker could unlock the planet’s last reserves.

Enter the FPSO, a Floating, Processing, Storage and Offloading vessel - a high tech floating rig, designed to extract deep-sea oil from waters too dangerous for traditional oil rigs. The FPSO is also the ultimate recycling project.

This film follows the extreme makeover of the ‘Pioneer’, a rusty 17 year-old tanker as it gets converted into a state-of-the-art FPSO. If the makeover succeeds, ‘Pioneer’ will be the first ever FPSO in American waters and will tap oil wells that lie at a record breaking 2.6km under the sea.