The captain responsible for the collision between a Russian cargo ship and a US oil tanker in the North Sea, resulting in the death of a crew member, has been brought to court. Vladimir Motin, from Primorsky, St Petersburg in Russia, is charged with gross negligence manslaughter following the recent incident.
Motin, 59, appeared in Hull Magistrates Court on Saturday to face the charges, and has been remanded into custody. A 38-year-old Filipino national, Mark Angelo Pernia, lost his life in the collision between the Solong and the Stena Immaculate off the coast of Yorkshire.
Thirty-six people from both ships survived and made it to shore. Reports were filed on Monday at 11 am stating that the vessels had collided and one crew member was missing. Humberside police, along with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, investigated the collision.
The Stena Immaculate, carrying jet fuel for the US military, is still anchored near the location of the incident, approximately 12 miles off the East Yorkshire coast, close to Withernsea. The Solong drifted southwards, visible off the Lincolnshire coast, en route from Grangemouth, Scotland to Rotterdam, Netherlands at the time of the crash.
On Friday, the chief coastguard Paddy O’Callaghan confirmed that the ships are stable. Salvage experts had inspected both vessels, noting small fires on the Solong that were not causing significant concern. He also stated that specialized tugs equipped with firefighting capabilities were present at the scene, and continuous aerial surveillance was monitoring for any pollution from either vessel.
Motin is scheduled to appear at the Old Bailey on April 14th.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/mar/15/russian-ship-captain-charged-with-manslaughter-appears-at-hull-court
