A London court has sentenced Russian captain Vladimir Motin to six years in prison for gross negligence over a 2025 ship collision that killed Filipino crew member Mark Pernia, whose body was never found.
A judge at London’s Old Bailey said Motin, 59, was an “accident waiting to happen”.
He had switched off alarm systems onboard the Portuguese-flagged container ship Solong shortly before it struck the anchored U.S. tanker Stena Immaculate on 10 March, 2025.
The tanker was carrying more than 220,000 barrels of aviation fuel when the collision occurred, triggering fires on both vessels and causing the death of Solong crewman Mark Pernia, 38.
Motin’s lawyer, James Leonard, told the court that Motin had tried but failed to take the Solong off autopilot to change course, arguing his actions did not amount to gross negligence. Jurors rejected that claim, convicting him earlier this week.
Prosecutor Tom Little read a statement from Pernia’s wife, who was seven months pregnant with their second child at the time of the crash. “Our longing for him will remain forever,” she said.
Prosecutors said earlier in the trial that the Solong had been on a collision course with the tanker for more than 30 minutes and that Motin did “absolutely nothing” to prevent impact.
The Solong's alarm system had been turned off and crews of the Stena Immaculate and the Solong received no warning of the collision.
Civil proceedings are ongoing. The Solong’s owner, a subsidiary of Ernst Russ, is facing a lawsuit at London’s High Court and has applied to have the case dismissed.
The company has said it set up a fund for potential claims and expressed its sympathies to Pernia’s family.
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Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed, according to the latest data, as uncertainty over the waterway’s reopening kept most shipowners away. Six commodity vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday, down from nine the day before and below the 10-day daily average of 11.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
Iran has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the U.S. fulfils the terms of an interim deal, including lifting the maritime blockade and sanctions and releasing Iran’s frozen assets.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 19th of August, covering the latest developments.
Australia on Thursday condemned Israel’s decision to close its criminal investigation into the deaths of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and six World Central Kitchen colleagues killed in Gaza in April 2024.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
North Korea has fired more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles after U.S. President Donald Trump reduced American participation in joint military exercises with South Korea in an effort to revive dialogue with Pyongyang.
Georgia’s foreign trade data for January-July 2026 shows Kyrgyzstan, China and Russia as its top three export markets, highlighting its Middle Corridor ambitions and complex economic ties with Moscow.
Kazakhstan will vote on 23 August in its first parliamentary election under the new Constitution, choosing 145 members of the new Kurultai under a fundamentally changed electoral system based entirely on party lists.
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