A Russian container ship captain waited until his vessel was just one nautical mile from an anchored oil tanker before attempting to avert a catastrophic collision that claimed a crewman's life, a court has heard.
The 'Entirely Avoidable' Collision
Vladimir Motin, 59, was the sole officer on the bridge of the container ship Solong when it struck the stationary US-registered oil tanker Stena Immaculate near the Humber Estuary on 10 March last year. The Old Bailey was told the death of Filipino crew member Mark Angelo Pernia, 38, was "entirely avoidable".
Motin, from St Petersburg, has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter. His defence barrister, James Leonard KC, conceded his client failed to prevent the crash but argued the extent of his culpability was the central issue.
The court heard Motin had been navigating the 130-metre Solong alone from 8am on the morning of the incident. The ship was on autopilot, travelling at about 16 knots. Prosecutors stated Motin was aware of the Stena Immaculate on his radar from at least nine nautical miles away and that it was directly in his path.
A Fateful Delay and a Failed Manoeuvre
James Leonard told jurors his client gained visual sight of the 183-metre tanker when about three nautical miles distant. However, Motin only attempted to take evasive action when the gap closed to a single nautical mile.
"The defendant will say that when he was approximately one nautical mile away... he tried to take the Solong out of autopilot so as to attempt to change course to starboard," Leonard said. "There is no dispute that had he changed course in the way he intended, there would have been no collision. That attempt was not successful and the Solong did not change course at all."
Jurors were invited to consider whether it was reasonable to wait that long and what alternative actions Motin should have taken both at nine and three nautical miles.
Inferno and a Missing Crewman
The collision at 9.47am triggered a devastating fire, as the Stena Immaculate was carrying over 220,000 barrels of JetA1 aviation fuel from Greece to the UK. Graphic video shown in court depicted the Solong smashing into the tanker's side, sending plumes of flame and smoke skyward.
Audio recordings revealed a minute of silence from the Solong's bridge post-impact before Motin radioed, "Stena Immaculate, Stena Immaculate." On the tanker, a loud crash was followed by shouts of "Holy shit... fire fire fire, we have had a collision," with alarms blaring.
Another clip from the Solong captured a voice pleading, "Lord help us. Lord help us. Lord help us." Mark Angelo Pernia, who was working at the ship's bow, perished in the blaze. His body was never recovered, as crew searches were thwarted by the intense fire.
Motin abandoned the bridge via an exterior ladder. The remaining Solong crew of 14 escaped by lifeboat. The vessel had been carrying spirits and some hazardous substances, including empty sodium cyanide containers, from Grangemouth to Rotterdam.
The trial continues at the Old Bailey after a juror was discharged for not focusing on the evidence.
