A Russian ship captain whose container vessel collided with a US oil tanker near the Humber Estuary has been sentenced to six years imprisonment following a trial where the judge dismissed his account as “extremely implausible”.
Vladimir Motin, 59, was convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence on Monday at the Old Bailey after the Solong struck the Stena Immaculate in the North Sea last March. Both vessels were carrying flammable goods and became engulfed in the resulting blaze.
Mark Angelo Pernia, 38, who was working on the Solong’s bow at the time, died instantly in the fire. His body was never recovered from the wreckage.
During Thursday’s sentencing hearing, Mr Justice Andrew Baker condemned Motin’s failure to keep a proper lookout as a “wholesale failure of his duty”. The judge described the captain’s version of events as not only “extremely implausible” but “even worse” than the prosecution’s account.
Motin had told jurors during his trial that he made a “mistake” by pressing the wrong button whilst attempting to disengage autopilot. He claimed subsequent efforts to restart the steering gear proved ineffective.
However, prosecutors rejected this explanation, characterising Mr Pernia’s death as the result of “truly, exceptionally bad negligence”. They argued Motin had lied about what transpired and failed to take basic safety measures including summoning help, reducing speed, sounding the alarm or initiating an emergency crash stop as a last resort.
The prosecution’s case demonstrated that Motin did not use all available means to determine the risk of collision on 10 March last year, nor did he leave sufficient time to take evasive action before the vessels struck each other.
The collision occurred in waters off the East Yorkshire coast, with both vessels heavily laden with flammable cargo at the time of impact. The subsequent fire proved fatal for Mr Pernia, who had no opportunity to escape from his position on the ship’s bow.
Mr Justice Andrew Baker had previously told Motin during proceedings that Mr Pernia’s death was “wholly avoidable”, emphasising the preventable nature of the tragedy that claimed the 38-year-old’s life.
The six-year sentence reflects the severity of Motin’s negligence and his failure to discharge his fundamental responsibilities as a ship’s captain in charge of a vessel carrying dangerous cargo through busy shipping lanes.
