Mon, 02 Feb 2026

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 Captain guilty of North Sea tanker crash death

Vladimir Motin is convicted of gross negligence manslaughter after a crew member died in the crash.
Vladimir Motin, 59, from St Petersburg, Russia, was in charge of the Solong when it hit the US tanker Stena Immaculate off the East Yorkshire coast on March 10, 2025. A jury at the Old Bailey in London delivered a unanimous guilty verdict after deliberating for over eight hours. Motin is due to be sentenced on Thursday. He was found to have failed to keep a proper lookout and use available means to avoid the collision or leave enough time for evasive action. Prosecutors said Motin lied about what took place on the bridge and had a "lax attitude" towards his duties as captain. The collision left Mark Angelo Pernia, 38, missing presumed dead. Pernia's wife was seven months pregnant at the time of his death. The Stena Immaculate had a crew of 23 and was carrying over 220,000 barrels of aviation fuel. The Solong had a 14-strong crew and was carrying hazardous substances, including empty sodium cyanide containers. CCTV footage showed the moment of impact, with the tanker's crew reacting in shock to the collision. Motin and his remaining crew abandoned ship and were brought ashore, where he messaged his wife saying "I will be guilty". However, he denied being asleep or leaving his post during the incident.
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