You forgot "asking for a friend".
I recently read "Tigerman" by Nick Harkaway and that had ships in international waters doing sketchy bio-stuff. So offshore is probably your best bet.
It's not as if I'm going to carry out experiments next to a major population centre.
<em>Tigerman</em> by Nick Harkaway.
<em>The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August</em> by Claire North.
<em>Wool</em> by Hugh Howey. (This one is a collection of 5 parts. The ebook of Part 1 is free, so you can download it and read it on your phone or ereader to see if it's right for you.)