Russian captain who did 'absolutely nothing' to avoid collision with US tanker learns sentence
The ship “Solong”, towed in port by the British Coast Guard after the collision with the American oil tanker, PHOTO: Michal Wachucik / PA Images / Profimedia
The captain of a container ship that collided with a US oil tanker off Britain's east coast last year was sentenced to six years in prison on Thursday for causing the death of a crew member by gross negligence, Reuters reports.
Russian citizen Vladimir Motin, aged 59, was the captain of the Portuguese-flagged ship “Solong” which hit the tanker “Stena Immaculate” at anchor in the North Sea on March 10, 2025.
Motin was arrested and charged four days later with causing the death of Filipino national Mark Pernia, 38, a member of the Solong crew. The body of Mark Pernia, 38, has not been found and is presumed dead. The other 15 crew members of the vessel commanded by Motin were Russians and Filipinos, while the tanker's crew is entirely American.
After a trial at London's Old Bailey, Motin was found guilty on Monday and returned for sentencing on Thursday, when Judge Andrew Baker told him Pernia died “at your command … and because of your gross negligence”.
The Russian captain had pleaded not guilty to the charge of manslaughter by gross negligence.
What did the prosecutors charge the Russian ship captain
Prosecutor Tom Little told the court that Pernia's death was “entirely avoidable”.
“He would still be alive but for the grossly negligent conduct of the man in the defendant's box,” Little told jurors.
The prosecutor stated that the “Solong” was on a collision course with the “Stena Immaculate” more than half an hour before the impact. The prosecutor also stated that the US ship was carrying “very large quantities of aviation fuel”.
Little also told the court that Motin owed Pernia a duty of care as the captain of the Solong and because he was “alone on the command deck” before the fatal collision.
“Ultimately, he did nothing, absolutely nothing, to avoid the collision,” Little added.
The fact that a Russian sailor was in command of a ship that rammed a US oil tanker carrying fuel for the US military has sparked some speculation, but British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's spokesman said there were no signs of sabotage.
