London court convicts Captain Motin of manslaughter

A London court has found 59-year-old Captain Vladimir Motin of St. Petersburg guilty of manslaughter. He was in command of the container ship Solong, which collided with an American tanker in the North Sea.

The prosecution proved that Motin failed to take necessary action to prevent the accident. Ship systems detected an obstacle on the course 30 minutes before the collision, and the tanker was visible to the naked eye 12 minutes before the incident.

Confidence in the captain was undermined by his correspondence with his wife in a messaging app. The messages discussed scenarios for behavior in court, an alibi, and advice not to take the blame.

British prosecutor Michael Gregory stated in court: «This is a tragic and completely preventable death of a crew member, caused by truly exceptionally gross negligence.»

The collision occurred in March 2025 off the northeast coast of England. The Portuguese-flagged container ship Solong struck the anchored tanker Stena Immaculate, causing an explosion and fire.

As a result, 38-year-old Filipino seaman Mark Angelo Perin from the container ship died. A total of 36 people were evacuated ashore: 23 from the tanker and 13 from the Solong. One crew member remained missing after a 12-hour search.

The tanker was carrying nearly 35 million liters of Jet A-1 aviation fuel, part of which spilled into the sea. The container ship was transporting sodium cyanide. The tanker was chartered by the Military Sealift Command (MSC) of the US Navy.

Sentencing for Vladimir Motin is scheduled for a court hearing on February 5.