Identity Of Missing Seafarer Discovered, As MV Solong Captain Charged In Court Over Fatal Collision
A 59-year-old Russian Master of the Solong has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter.
Vladimir Motin, 59, from St Petersburg, Russia, Captain of the container ship Solong which collided with the tanker Stena Immaculate on 10 March in the North Sea was charged in court on Friday.
He appeared in court at Hull Magistrates on 14 March charged with gross negligence manslaughter and according to the BBC did not enter a plea. He was remanded in custody and is to appear before the Central Criminal Court in London on 14 April.
The Crown Prosecution Service said that Filipino national Mark Angelo Pernia, 38, a seafarer on board the Solong died in the incident. His body remains missing.
The Stena Immaculate was carrying a cargo of aviation fuel at the time of accident and the collision resulted in an explosion and a serious fire on both vessels.
The UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) reported that the Solong was headed from Grangemouth to Rotterdam. On Monday morning at 0130 UTC, Solong passed to the east of the Longstone lighthouse and altered course onto a heading of approximately 150° at a speed of about 16.4 knots. At 0947 UTC it struck the Stena Immaculate that was at anchor off the entrance to the River Humber.
On Friday salvors were able to board both vessels for the first time since the accident took place.