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Russian captain of ship in North Sea crash pleads not guilty to manslaughter of crew member

Vladimir Motin, master of the Solong, is charged over the death of crew member Mark Angelo Pernia.

Friday 30 May 2025 11:30, UK

Smoke billows from the MV Solong cargo ship in the North Sea, off the Yorkshire coast, Tuesday, March 11, 2025, England. (Dan Kitwood/Pool Photo via AP)
Image: The Solong cargo ship in the North Sea, off the Yorkshire coast, after the collision. Pic: AP
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The Russian captain of a container ship that collided with a tanker in the North Sea has pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter of one of his crew.

Vladimir Motin, master of the Solong, is charged over the death of Mark Angelo Pernia.

Motin, 59, pleaded not guilty to manslaughter by gross negligence as he appeared at the Old Bailey by videolink from HMP Hull on Friday.

Assisted by a Russian interpreter, the defendant, of PrimorAG百家乐在线官网, St Petersburg, confirmed his identity before he entered the plea.

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Motin's vessel was involved in a collision with the American tanker Stena Immaculate near the Humber Estuary off the coast of Yorkshire on 10 March.

All 23 people on the tanker were rescued, along with 13 crew from the Solong, but Mr Pernia, 38, could not be located.

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The Filipino national was working in the forward deck of the Solong, in an area where there was an explosion.

The collision happened 10.2 nautical miles from the coast, a previous hearing was told.

Solong boat on fire and drifting
Plumes of smoke rise above clouds after Portuguese-flagged container ship, Solong, crashed into anchored Stena Immaculate, a tanker carrying U.S. military jet fuel, off Britain's east coast, as seen from mid-air, in this handout image obtained by Reuters on March 11, 2025. Paige Langley/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.
Image: Smoke from the collision between the two ships in the North Sea seen above the clouds. Pic: Reuters

The 140m-long Portuguese-registered Solon was carrying around 157 containers, while the 183m-long Stena Immaculate was carrying jet fuel.

The stricken container ship the Solong, which was involved in a collision with a tanker in the North Sea, is towed in to the port of Aberdeen. The Solong collided with the anchored tanker Stena Immaculate about 12 miles off the coast of East Yorkshire on March 10, leaving one man missing, presumed dead. Picture date: Friday March 28, 2025.
Image: The stricken container ship was towed into the port of Aberdeen. Pic: PA

The Stena Immaculate anchored at the point of collision about 15 hours before the impact and the Solong was travelling at around 15 knots when it hit the other vessel's port side.

A further hearing will be held on 10 September ahead of the defendant's trial in January next year.

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