In an English court on Saturday, Russian national Vladimir Motin, 59, the captain of the Portuguese-flagged Solong, which collided with the Stena Immaculate tanker carrying military jet fuel off Britain's east coast earlier this week, was charged with gross negligence manslaughter.
The incident resulted in the death of Solong crew member Mark Angelo Pernia, 38, a Filipino national. Prosecutor Amelia Katz stated that the Solong was traveling at a speed exceeding 15 knots when it struck the anchored Stena Immaculate, having been stationary for over 15 hours prior to the collision.
Katz highlighted that Motin was solely responsible for the Solong during the collision, which occurred about three hours after he had taken command. She further mentioned that, leading up to the impact, the Solong remained on a direct collision course with the anchored Stena Immaculate for over 40 minutes without making any course or speed adjustments, nor attempting any communication to warn of the impending collision.
After the collision, all 23 crew members from the Stena Immaculate and 13 out of 14 crew members from the Solong were successfully rescued. Despite efforts by some of the Solong crew to locate Mr. Pernia, they were unsuccessful. Motin did not request bail and was detained in custody.
The collision resulted in a significant explosion and the spillage of jet fuel into the sea. Thankfully, fears of an environmental catastrophe were eased after assessments revealed that most of the jet fuel had burned off, with no signs of further leaks from either vessel.