Russian cargo ship captain is found guilty over North Sea tanker crash death
LONDON (AP) — A Russian captain of a cargo ship was found guilty Monday of gross negligence manslaughter after his vessel crashed into a U.S. oil tanker in the North Sea last year, killing one crew member.
Vladimir Motin had been on sole watch duty when his cargo ship, the Solong, collided with the anchored Stena Immaculate off northeast England on March 10, 2025. Both ships were laden with flammable cargo, and the collision sparked a huge fire that burned for eight days.
Filipino national Mark Angelo Pernia, 38, who was working on the Solong’s bow, died instantly, and his body was never recovered.
Prosecutors at the trial in London alleged Motin, 59, from St Petersburg, failed to summon help, slow down, sound the alarm or instigate a crash stop as a last resort. They alleged the captain lied about what happened.
“This was a tragic and entirely avoidable death of a member of crew caused by truly, exceptionally bad negligence,” said senior specialist prosecutor Michael Gregory, adding: “It is extremely fortunate that no one else was killed.”
Motin will be sentenced on Thursday.
The Solong, which was 130 meters (427 feet) long, was carrying mainly alcoholic spirits and some hazardous substances and was bound for the port of Rotterdam in Holland. The Stena Immaculate was 183 meters long and transporting jet fuel for the U.S. military.
Jurors heard a lengthy silence from the bridge of the Solong before it crashed into the oil tanker at a speed of 15.2 knots. A full minute elapsed before Motin was heard to react.
CCTV video captured the moment both ships were caught in the massive blaze ignited by leaking fuel from the Stena Immaculate.
“What just hit us … a container ship,” the shocked crew aboard the U.S. tanker were heard saying in a recording. “This is no drill, this is no drill, fire fire fire, we have had a collision.”
Rescuers saved 36 people from both vessels.