Police have made a statement after Vladimir Motin was jailed for manslaughter by gross negligence
An aerial view of the MV Solong cargo ship in the North Sea following the crash(Image: Getty Images)
Police said the captain of a ship that crashed in the North Sea, killing one of his own crew, “completely failed in his duty” and that he has “shown no remorse at any stage”. Vladimir Motin, 59, denied manslaughter by gross negligence but was convicted by a jury at the Old Bailey following a three-week trial that ended on Monday.
His vessel, the Solong, collided into the Stena Immaculate around ten miles off the East Yorkshire coast shortly before 10am on March 10, 2025. The crash tragically led to the death of Solong crew member Mark Angelo Pernia, 38, whose body was never recovered.
On Thursday, Russian national Motin, of St Petersburg, was jailed for six years. Following his sentencing, Humberside Police senior investigating officer Chief Superintendent Craig Nicholson, said: “Motin completely failed in his duty as a Captain, causing the death of one of his own crew and endangering the remaining lives of the crews of both vessels.
“Motin has shown no remorse at any stage of the investigation or court proceedings, and even though he has now been sentenced and held accountable for his crimes, it will not bring Mark back. I sincerely hope today’s outcome offers Mark’s family some measure of solace and my thoughts remain with them today.”
During the hearing, Mr Justice Andrew Baker told Motin: “You were a serious accident waiting to happen.” He added the captain had shown a “blatant disregard for the very high risk of death” and fallen prey to his own complacency and arrogance.
In the trial, the prosecution said Motin was responsible for multiple failures in the lead-up to the tragedy and then lied about what took place on the bridge. The court heard that the Stena Immaculate, which was carrying 220,000 barrels of aviation fuel, was visible on the Solong’s radar display for 36 minutes before impact, yet Motin did nothing to steer away from the collision course.
He failed to summon help, slow down, sound the alarm to alert crews of both ships or instigate a crash stop as a last resort, the prosecution said. Motin denied he had been asleep or had left his post on the bridge. He also claimed he knew the Stena Immaculate was up ahead but said he pressed the wrong button to take the Solong out of autopilot and steer safely away.
After the guilty verdict was reached, Michael Gregory, senior specialist crown prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service, described the incident as “entirely avoidable” that was “caused by truly, exceptionally bad negligence”.
He added: “Mark Pernia was just going about his day-to-day work. It is with great sadness for his family that his body has never been found.
“Vladimir Motin was an experienced vessel master who had captained the Solong for 15 years – but this time his actions fell gravely below the standards expected. Vladimir Motin’s failure to act, despite clear and sustained warnings, amounted to a gross breach of duty and led to fatal consequences. It is extremely fortunate that no one else was killed.
“The CPS presented a Voyage Data Recorder known as the ‘black box’ and CCTV footage of the collision, alongside witness testimony including from a maritime expert and audio recordings from the ships, to prove that Motin’s failures directly caused a wholly avoidable death.
“Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Mark Pernia and all those affected.”