Russian Captain Guilty of Fatal Ship Collision

Russian captain Vladimir Motin was found guilty of gross negligence causing death in a crash between the Solong container ship and Stena Immaculate tanker. The March 2022 incident resulted in the presumed death of Mark Pernia. Civil litigation against the Solong's owner is ongoing.

Russian ship captain Vladimir Motin was convicted in London on Monday for causing the death of Mark Pernia, a crew member, in a collision off Britain's east coast in March last year. The accident involved the container ship Solong and the U.S. tanker Stena Immaculate, which was anchored at the time.

The crash resulted in a fire, and Pernia, a national of the Philippines, is presumed dead after being thrown into the sea. Motin was accused of failing to prevent the collision despite being on a direct course with the tanker for over 30 minutes, according to prosecutor Tom Little.

Motin's defense claimed he attempted to avert the crash, arguing against gross negligence. Despite this, he was convicted and faces sentencing Thursday. Meanwhile, the Solong's owner, Ernst Russ' subsidiary, is involved in a lawsuit at London's High Court regarding potential liabilities from the incident.

(With inputs from agencies.)