Solong captain faces UK court after North Sea disaster

Photo: Alan Soutar

Vladimir Motin has pleaded not guilty to gross negligence manslaughter after the Solong cargo ship collided with an anchored tanker in March last year. 

The captain of a cargo ship that collided with a US-chartered tanker in the North Sea has pleaded not guilty to gross negligence manslaughter in a London court. 

Vladimir Motin is on trial for manslaughter after one crew member died when the Portuguese-flagged SOLONG, under the Russian’s command, hit the STENA IMMACULATE tanker on 10 March 2025.The US-flagged tanker was anchored 13 miles from the port of Hull at the time of the crash, with the cargo vessel travelling around 18 miles per hour, or 16 knots. Mark Angelo Pernia was aboard the SOLONG, went missing, and is presumed dead after a coastguard search. 

The collision sparked a blaze that raged into the next day and prompted a rescue attempt that saw more than 30 casualties brought ashore.While concerns over environmental impacts through a spillage of jet fuels did not come to fruition, a clean-up operation began after plastic pellets washed ashore after spilling from the SOLONG. Local council reported more than 16 tonnes of plastic were removed from beaches in northeastern Lincolnshire.

Following the incident, Humberside Police said the 59-year-old captain had been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter following searches for his missing crew member.

The SOLONG finally reached the Port of Aberdeen for “safe berthing” on 28 March 2025.The Solong was accompanied by another vessel equipped with counter-pollution measures to prevent further environmental damage.

An investigation in April last year found that visibility was “patchy,” with the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) noting in a preliminary report that neither vessel had a “dedicated lookout on the bridge”.

Source : energyvoice        Author: Floyd March North West Correspondent