Sea Captain Receives Six-Year Sentence for Fatal Maritime Collision
A sea captain has been sentenced to six years in prison after his cargo vessel crashed into an anchored oil tanker off the East Yorkshire coast, resulting in a fatal explosion that claimed the life of a crew member.
Tragic Incident at the Humber Estuary
Captain Vladimir Motin, 59, from St Petersburg in Russia, was found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence following a trial at the Old Bailey. The incident occurred at 9.47am on 10 March last year when the cargo ship Solong, under Motin's sole watch, collided with the Stena Immaculate near the Humber Estuary.
The collision triggered a devastating explosion and fire. Mark Angelo Pernia, a 38-year-old crew member working on the bow of the Solong, died instantly in the blaze. His body was never recovered from the scene.
Vessels Laden with Flammable Cargo
The court heard that both ships were carrying highly flammable materials, creating an obvious and extreme danger in the event of a collision. The Solong, measuring 130 metres long and weighing 7,852 gross tonnes, had departed from Grangemouth in Scotland bound for Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Its cargo consisted mainly of alcoholic spirits alongside some hazardous substances, including empty but unclean sodium cyanide containers.
The Stena Immaculate, at 183.2 metres long with a crew of 23, was transporting more than 220,000 barrels of JetA1 high-grade aviation fuel from Greece to the United Kingdom.
Multiple Failures and Delayed Reaction
Prosecutors detailed a series of critical failures by Captain Motin in the lead-up to the tragedy. The Stena Immaculate had been visible on the Solong's radar display for 36 minutes before impact, yet Motin took no action to alter course or avoid the impending collision.
He failed to summon assistance, reduce speed, sound alarms to alert crews on both vessels, or initiate a crash stop as a last-resort measure. Dramatic CCTV footage captured the moment both ships were engulfed in a massive blaze ignited by leaking fuel from the tanker.
Jurors heard a prolonged silence from the bridge of the Solong before it struck the oil tanker at a speed of 15.2 knots. A full minute elapsed before any reaction was heard from Motin.
Defence Claims and Prosecution Rebuttal
In his defence, Motin denied having been asleep or leaving his post on the bridge. He claimed he hesitated to take action because the Stena Immaculate appeared to be moving slowly and unpredictably. Motin stated he then made a "mistake" by pressing the wrong button when attempting to take the Solong out of autopilot to steer away from approximately one nautical mile distance.
Unaware of this error, he told jurors he proceeded to stop and restart the steering gear without effect, believing the vessel might have developed a rudder fault similar to one experienced by its sister ship, the Sanskip Express. Motin said he decided against a crash stop because he feared the Solong would collide with the accommodation block, potentially killing the American tanker crew.
The prosecution argued that Motin had provided false accounts to "get back to his wife" in Russia, giving differing versions of events to police and jurors. It was revealed he had switched off the Solong's Bridge Navigation Watch Alert System (BNWAS), designed to ensure someone is physically present and awake on the bridge.
Prosecutors concluded that Motin's failures were so "exceptionally bad" they amounted to gross negligence, leading directly to the fatal outcome.
Aftermath and Sentencing
Following the collision, Motin and the remaining Solong crew abandoned ship and were taken ashore in Grimsby. The defendant messaged his wife, stating he would be "guilty." After eight hours of deliberation, the jury returned a guilty verdict on Monday, resulting in the six-year prison sentence.
This case highlights critical issues regarding maritime safety protocols, watchkeeping responsibilities, and the severe consequences of negligence in the shipping industry.
