Russian Ship Captain Found Guilty Over Crew Member’s Death In North Sea Collision
A Russian cargo ship captain has been convicted of gross negligence manslaughter after a North Sea collision caused a fire and led to the death of a crew member.
Vladimir Motin, 59, was found guilty at the Old Bailey after his ship, the Portuguese-registered Solong, struck the stationary US-registered fuel tanker Stena Immaculate in the Humber Estuary just after 9.45am on 10 March 2025.
The impact caused an explosion and fire that spread across both vessels.
Filipino crew member Mark Angelo Pernia, 38, who was working on board the Solong, was killed in the collision. His body has never been recovered and he is presumed dead.
The court heard that the Solong was sailing from Scotland to Rotterdam when it collided with the anchored tanker off the East Yorkshire coast.
At the time, the Stena Immaculate was carrying more than 220,000 barrels of aviation fuel from Greece to the UK.
Video Credits: The Sun
The Solong was transporting alcoholic spirits and hazardous cargo, including empty but unclean sodium cyanide containers.
Prosecutors said the risk of fire was clear because both ships were carrying flammable materials. Evidence showed that Motin was the only person on watch on the bridge.
The tanker appeared on the Solong’s radar more than 30 minutes before the crash and would have been visible to the naked eye for about 12 minutes.
Despite this, Motin did not change course or speed, raise any alarms, call for help, or attempt an emergency stop. Voyage Data Recorder data, CCTV footage and audio recordings were shown in court.
These showed no changes to the ship’s course or speed before the collision. Maritime experts confirmed there were no mechanical or electronic problems with the Solong.
Prosecutors said Motin failed to keep a proper lookout and did not properly assess the risk of collision.
The court was told he had switched off the Bridge Navigational Watch Alarm System, leaving himself as the only lookout, which went against normal safety procedures.
Video Credits: Guardian News
After the collision, Motin and the rest of the crew abandoned the ship and were taken ashore in Grimsby.
Motin told the court he had pressed the wrong button while trying to take the ship off autopilot and claimed the steering did not respond.
Prosecutors said this was untrue and that an experienced captain would have quickly realised and corrected any such mistake.
They also said Motin later gave false accounts of what happened on the bridge.
The jury unanimously found Motin guilty after more than eight hours of deliberation. He showed no emotion as the verdict was read out and was remanded in custody. He is due to be sentenced on Thursday.
The court heard that Pernia’s wife was around seven months pregnant at the time of his death and lives in a remote part of the Philippines. Arrangements are being made to allow her to follow the sentencing.
After the verdict, the Crown Prosecution Service said the death was entirely avoidable and caused by exceptionally bad negligence.
Investigators also said it was fortunate no one else was killed and that the collision could have led to a major environmental disaster.
Reference: CPS
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