00:00This welder is holding in his hands a tool that carries as much electricity as a power
00:08line.
00:10A simple slip could kill him in an instant, making underwater welding the most dangerous
00:17job in the world.
00:24But it's also essential to keep bridges standing, oil pipes from leaking, and massive
00:31ships from sinking.
00:35Here in Indonesia, it's one of the highest paying jobs, earning welders up to $15,000
00:42in just one week.
00:46And they're in such demand that the government is paying to train certified divers to weld.
00:54Still, they often work with minimal protection.
01:01So why is there so much need for underwater welders in Indonesia?
01:08And does paying these workers well actually make up for the risks?
01:18Suhendra is preparing to leave on a four-month assignment.
01:22Long trips are part of his job, but this goodbye feels harder than usual.
01:38Suhendra has four children.
01:41Now he's leaving his 14-year-old son, Yusuf, in charge.
02:08Today, he'll be diving in the Indian Ocean by an industrial zone on the coast of Silikon.
02:31He'll be working below a pier that's still under construction, about a mile and a half
02:36from shore.
02:39His job is to attach a white box called a sacrificial anode to the iron pillars.
02:46The anode is made from a more reactive metal, usually zinc or aluminum.
02:51It will rest in place of the column, saving the main structure.
02:57The anode has to be replaced every five years.
03:03There are 900 pillars here, and Suhendra's company is responsible for 471 of them.
03:13Suhendra will dive with his mentee, 27-year-old Rangga Ahmed Maulana.
03:34Diving raises blood pressure, so they need to check their vitals.
03:40Still, there's only so much they can prepare for.
03:54This crew sets up the air compressor that will pump oxygen to Suhendra and Rangga.
04:01Today, they'll go down with a simple cap and goggles.
04:31Instead of carrying a tank on their backs, the men breathe through this blue tube, called
04:36an umbilical.
04:41It's the only thing tying them to the boat.
04:58The anode is lowered with the help of a rope.
05:06Suhendra and Rangga communicate mostly through hand gestures, while finding the right spot
05:11on the column.
05:29After about 15 minutes, they strap it to the pillar.
05:35And start welding.
05:40This is where the real danger begins.
05:58The water significantly increases the chances of a lethal electric shock.
06:07The rod is charged negatively, and the anode is positive.
06:13So electricity will naturally flow from one to the other to complete a circuit.
06:19But you need a lot of electricity to melt the rod and attach the box to the pillar.
06:24The heat forms gas bubbles that act as shields, stopping the electric current from escaping.
06:36If they touch the tip of the welding gun, they'd die in an instant.
06:42A shaky hand could cause an accident.
06:45And it can be hard to keep a steady grip.
07:02They wear only two sets of gloves and a standard wetsuit.
07:07In the U.S., divers use a lot more protection.
07:11But they're still about 40 times more likely to die on the job than the average worker.
07:18Making this the deadliest job out there.
07:24Rangga has been shocked before, but he was lucky he didn't become unconscious.
07:41It takes the divers an hour and a half to attach one anode.
08:09They swim up every time they finish one.
08:17Pressure at this depth is about twice what it is on the surface.
08:25If they go up too fast, nitrogen in their body forms bubbles and blocks blood flow to
08:31important organs like the brain or the heart.
08:42Suhendra visits a decompression chamber every three months.
08:56The diving has already taken a toll on Rangga.
09:16The pier they're working on will eventually connect ships carrying crude oil to this brand
09:22new $39 billion petrochemical plant that will turn it into plastic.
09:29It's part of a big investment push Indonesia is making in the oil industry.
09:35The government has offered certain companies up to a 100% tax reduction for a decade.
09:42They are to build 22 new petrochemical plants by 2025.
09:47And this is a business that's expanding across the world.
09:53Reports project that by 2050, petrochemicals will account for nearly half of the growth
09:58in global oil demand.
10:00We're seeing a huge rush to build additional capacity to produce ever more plastics.
10:07And this is not an accident, but it is the plan of the oil and gas industry to continue
10:13to monetize as much of a barrel of oil as the industry can.
10:19In the U.S., petrochemical plants have been the source of major controversy because they
10:24emit toxic chemicals that are known carcinogens.
10:29We see enormous releases of toxic pollution.
10:34Human rights organizations have called the areas near the petrochemical plants sacrifice
10:39zones.
10:40They also pollute waterways.
10:43Tiny pellets called nurdles easily slip into drains at factories, or sometimes spill out
10:49of cargo containers during transport.
10:52And they end up killing the fish and birds that eat them.
11:00Indonesia is already the fourth most polluted country in the world.
11:05Landfills are at capacity.
11:07Today, nearly the entire population lives in areas where air pollution exceeds the WHO's
11:14safe air standards.
11:17That's shortening Indonesia's lifespans by about one and a half years.
11:23The country has launched laws to cap greenhouse gas emissions.
11:28But reports indicate those are rarely enforced.
11:33Now experts fear that building petrochemical plants will create more problems.
11:39So the plastics industry has done a good job of convincing the public that the plastics
11:45crisis is one of consumer behavior, that the problem is litter.
11:50And that couldn't be further from the truth.
11:56The government has promised the investments will create thousands of jobs.
12:02And in a country where 25 million people live under the poverty line, surveys have found
12:08that many here are more concerned with economic prosperity than with environmental issues.
12:14I feel that I'm only doing this for work.
12:18I'm doing this to make a living.
12:21And I'm friendly with nature.
12:24So nature knows what's best for us.
12:27Safety first!
12:28Yes!
12:29The crew is done for the day, but it will take them another four months to finish all
12:34the pillars.
12:37The construction phase alone has employed 13,000 workers so far.
12:42Once this plant is completed, it will need 1,000 workers to keep it running.
12:59Suhendra is looking forward to seeing his children again soon.
13:04He says his son wants to do the same work one day.
13:09Suhendra worries that these waters might be too polluted by the time he grows up.
13:39We have to protect the sea.
13:41We have to protect it together.
13:43The sea is not a place for garbage.
13:45When we can protect the sea, it means our grandchildren can enjoy the sea.
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