Solong captain sentenced to six years for fatal North Sea collision

Solong captain sentenced to six years for fatal North Sea collision

by The Editorial Team Safety4Sea

 February 5, 2026

Credit: BBC

Following a lengthy trial, the captain of the cargo ship Solong, Vladimir Motin has been sentenced to six years in prison for gross negligence manslaughter.

Motin was on watch when the Solong collided with the US tanker Stena Immaculate off the East Yorkshire coast on 10 March 2025, resulting in 38-year-old Mark Angelo Pernia going missing and presumed dead.

According to BBC, during the trial at London’s Old Bailey, it was revealed that Motin failed to maintain a proper lookout, did not use all available means to assess the risk of collision and did not leave sufficient time to take evasive action.

Passing sentence, Mr Justice Andrew Baker described Motin as having succumbed to his own “complacency and arrogance,” calling him “a serious accident waiting to happen.”

Investigators highlighted that Motin’s 30 minutes of inaction before the fiery North Sea collision, along with his striking silence afterward, clearly demonstrated his culpability.

Evidence showed that the Stena Immaculate was visible on the Solong’s radar for 36 minutes before the impact, yet Motin failed to change course, sound alarms, call for help, or initiate an emergency stop.

At the time of the collision, the Stena Immaculate was carrying more than 220,000 barrels of aviation fuel from Greece to the UK with a crew of 23. The Solong had 14 crew members on board and was transporting primarily alcoholic spirits and some hazardous materials, including uncleaned sodium cyanide containers.

Following the sentencing, senior investigating officer Detective Chief Superintendent Craig Nicholson stated that Motin had “completely failed in his duty as a captain,” causing the death of a crew member and endangering lives on both vessels.