Russian captain jailed for 6 years for death of crew member in North Sea tanker crash

In London, a Russian captain, Vladimir Motin, was sentenced to six years in jail on Thursday for the manslaughter of a Filipino crew member, Mark Angelo Pernia. The incident occurred in March when Motin's cargo ship, the Solong, collided with the anchored oil tanker Stena Immaculate in the North Sea, off the coast of Yorkshire, England. Motin, who was on sole watch duty, failed to identify the collision risk, leading to the death of Pernia, who was working in the bow of the Solong and whose body was never recovered. Judge Andrew Baker described Motin as an "accident waiting to happen," highlighting the gross negligence that resulted in the fatal collision. The crash caused a large fire and prompted a major rescue operation.

Russian container ship captain Vladimir Motin, 59, was sentenced to six years in jail for manslaughter by gross negligence after a fatal North Sea collision off the coast of Yorkshire. Motin's ship, the Solong, crashed into the stationary oil tanker Stena Immaculate, resulting in an explosion that killed Filipino crew member Mark Angelo Pernia. The court found that Motin, who was on sole watch duty, failed to keep a proper lookout and take action to avoid the collision. Motin claimed he mistakenly pressed the wrong button when attempting to steer away from the tanker, but the judge deemed his account improbable. The prosecution argued that Motin failed to maintain a proper watch, sound the alarm, or warn the crew of the impending disaster.

Vladimir Motin, 59, the Russian captain of a container ship, was found guilty in a London court of causing the death of a crew member through gross negligence. The incident occurred on March 10 last year when the Solong crashed into an anchored US tanker, Stena Immaculate, off the east coast of Britain. The collision started a blaze on both ships and resulted in the death of Mark Pernia, a Philippines national whose body has not been found. Motin had pleaded not guilty but was convicted after prosecutors argued he did "absolutely nothing" to prevent the collision, which occurred despite being on course for over 30 minutes. The court heard that Pernia's wife, who lives in the Philippines, was seven months pregnant at the time of his death and their child has since been born. Motin will be sentenced on Thursday.