The captain of a container ship that collided with a U.S. tanker last week off Britain’s east coast has appeared in court, facing charges of gross negligence manslaughter.
Vladimir Motin, a 59-year-old Russian national, was the captain of the Portuguese-flagged Solong, which struck the Stena Immaculate tanker last Monday morning.
The tanker, carrying military jet fuel, had been anchored in the same position for over 15 hours before the collision occurred.
Motin, charged on Friday evening, appeared at Hull Magistrates’ Court on Saturday following the death of 38-year-old Filipino crew member Mark Angelo Pernia, who was aboard the Solong at the time of the crash.
Prosecutor Amelia Katz told the court that the Solong was traveling at a speed of over 15 knots (27.8 kilometers per hour) when it struck the stationary Stena Immaculate.
Motin was the sole person in charge of the Solong at the time, having taken command roughly three hours before the incident.
“For a period of over 40 minutes before the collision, the Solong was on a direct route for impact with the Stena Immaculate, which was anchored and stationary,” Katz said. “There were no communication attempts from the Solong to warn of the impending collision, and the vessel did not adjust its course or speed at any point.”
Of the 23 crew members on the Stena Immaculate and 14 crew members on the Solong, all but one were rescued. Efforts to locate crew member Mark Angelo Pernia were unsuccessful.
The collision caused a massive explosion and spilled jet fuel into the sea. Initial fears of an environmental disaster diminished as assessments revealed that most of the jet fuel had burned off, with no further leaks detected from either ship.
Motin did not seek bail and was remanded into custody.
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