A ship’s captain has been jailed for six years over a collision in the North Sea off Withernsea last year which claimed the life of a crew member.
Vladimir Motin, 59, of Primorsky, St Petersburg, Russia, was captain of the Solong container vessel. He was found guilty of gross negligence manslaughter on Monday, February 2, following a three-week trial at the Old Bailey.
The charge related to a collision between the Solong and the tanker Stena Immaculate in the North Sea on Monday, March 10, 2025.
At around 11am that day, Humberside Police received a call from the HM Coastguard reporting that the two vessels had collided about 10.2 miles off the East Yorkshire coast, with a crew member missing.
A multi-agency rescue operation was launched, led by HM Coastguard. All 23 crew members aboard Stena Immaculate were safely rescued and accounted for. From the Solong, 13 of the 14 crew members were rescued, with all survivors brought ashore at Grimsby docks.
One crew member from the Solong, able seaman Mark Pernia, remained unaccounted for. Following extensive searches, HM Coastguard later declared him dead owing to the length of time that had passed since the collision and the extremely hostile conditions in the sea.
Detective Chief Superintendent Craig Nicholson, Senior Investigating Officer, 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.”