UK
Russian captain of ship in North Sea crash pleads not guilty to gross negligence manslaughter
The Russian captain of a container ship that collided with a tanker in the North Sea has pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter of a crew member.
Vladimir Motin, master of the Solong, is charged over the death of Mark Angelo Pernia.
Motin, 59, pleaded not guilty to manslaughter by gross negligence as he appeared at the Old Bailey by videolink from HMP Hull on Friday.
Assisted by a Russian interpreter, the defendant, of Primorsky, St Petersburg, confirmed his identity before he entered the plea.
Motin’s vessel was involved in a collision with the American tanker Stena Immaculate near the Humber Estuary off the coast of Yorkshire on 10 March.
All 23 people on the tanker were rescued, along with 13 crew from the Solong, but Mr Pernia, 38, could not be located.
The Filipino national was working in the forward deck of the Solong, in an area where there was an explosion.
The collision happened 10.2 nautical miles from the coast, a previous hearing was told.
Smoke from the collision between the two ships in the North Sea seen above the clouds. Pic: Reuters
The 140m-long Portuguese-registered Solon was carrying around 157 containers, while the 183m-long Stena Immaculate was carrying jet fuel.
The stricken container ship was towed into the port of Aberdeen. Pic: PA
The Stena Immaculate anchored at the point of collision around 15 hours before the impact and the Solong was travelling at around 15 knots when it hit the other vessel’s port side.
A further hearing will be held on 10 September ahead of the defendant’s trial on 12 January next year.