The Russian captain of a container ship that was involved in a collision with an American oil tanker in the North Sea has denied manslaughter charges.
Vladimir Motin, 59, from Primorsky, St Petersburg, who was the master of the Solong, is accused of unlawfully killing crew member Mark Angelo Pernia, 38, during the collision off the East Yorkshire coast earlier this year.
Motin appeared at the Old Bailey via videolink from HMP Hull for a plea hearing before Judge Mark Lucraft KC on Friday, May 30.
With the assistance of a Russian interpreter, Motin confirmed his identity and pleaded not guilty to a single charge of manslaughter relating to the death of Filipino national Mr Pernia on March 10.
Judge Lucraft scheduled another hearing for September 10, ahead of the defendant’s trial which is set for January 12, 2026.
Motin was charged following the disappearance of Mr Pernia when the Solong collided with the American tanker Stena Immaculate.
All 23 people aboard the tanker were rescued along with 13 crew members from the Solong, but Mr Pernia could not be found.
Mr Pernia had been working on the forward deck of the Solong, where there was an explosion.
(Image: Elizabeth Cook/PA)
The collision occurred around 9.47am, approximately 10.2 nautical miles from the nearest point on the coast, as per information shared in a previous hearing.
The Solong, which is registered in Portugal and was carrying about 157 containers, measures 140m in length.
The Stena Immaculate, measuring 183m long and transporting jet fuel, had anchored at the point of the collision roughly 15 hours prior to the impact.
The Solong was moving at approximately 15 knots when it collided with the port side of the other vessel.
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