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A cargo ship captain has been sentenced to six years in prison after being found guilty of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with a fatal collision off the East Yorkshire coast. Vladimir Motin, aged 59 and from St Petersburg, Russia, was on duty aboard the Solong when it struck the US tanker Stena Immaculate on 10 March 2025. The accident resulted in the disappearance and presumed death of 38-year-old crew member Mark Angelo Pernia.
During the trial held at the Old Bailey in London, evidence was presented showing that Motin failed to maintain an adequate watch or use all available measures to assess the risk of collision. Despite the tanker being visible on the Solong’s radar for 36 minutes before impact, Motin neither altered course nor took evasive action, nor did he sound alarms or call for help. Mr Justice Andrew Baker condemned Motin’s “complacency and arrogance,” describing him as “a serious accident waiting to happen.”
The court heard that Motin attempted to mislead investigators about the circumstances surrounding the crash. Prosecutor Julia Faure-Walker stated he lied to hasten his return to his wife in Russia. Although Motin denied falling asleep or abandoning his post, the judge dismissed his account as “extremely implausible” and ruled that the death of Mark Angelo Pernia was “wholly avoidable.” The judge further noted that Motin’s testimony was “an exercise in inventive distraction” and that his claim of confusion was revealed to be false under scrutiny.
Mark Angelo Pernia’s widow, Leacel, shared a victim impact statement, expressing the enduring grief and hardship her family faces. Defence barrister James Leonard KC acknowledged Motin’s remorse and described the incident as an isolated lapse in an otherwise clean professional record, noting that Motin had vowed never to return to sea. The collision involved the Solong, carrying mostly alcoholic spirits and some hazardous materials, and the Stena Immaculate, which had been transporting over 220,000 barrels of aviation fuel. Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Superintendent Craig Nicholson of Humberside Police highlighted Motin’s failure as a captain, stressing the severe consequences of his negligence and expressing sympathy for Pernia’s family
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