Through our previous work on National Geographic’s ‘Drain The Oceans’ and ‘Ocean Wreck Investigation’, 422 South caught the attention of Afanti Media. They ask us to be part of a new film for S4C, entitled ‘Black Waters’. The documentary explores the devastating Sea Empress disaster off the coast of South Wales in 1996, one of the UK’s most significant environmental catastrophes.
Our primary focus was in visualising how the Sea Empress was grounded rather than the salvage operation which was sufficiently covered with historic archive. We wanted to contrast the historic archive and bring the sheer scale of the ship to bear so our shots needed to be located as close to the ship as possible, both above and below water. Through detailed simulations and lighting the team brought a visceral quality to the CGI placing the viewer at the heart of the action.
Black Waters premiered on BBC One Wales on 18th February 2026 and is available now to watch on BBC iPlayer and Apple TV now.
Map showing the movement of the Sea Empress after her grounding just off Saint Anne's Head
