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.
Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut down its 1,200-kilometre East-West oil pipeline after it was hit by a drone attack, with Riyadh and Baghdad sayin...
Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces struck two cargo vessels overnight in the Ukrainian Black Sea port o...
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would “love” to see British-run Northern Ireland unify...
Overnight Iranian strikes on an air base in Jordan damaged multiple U.S. aircraft and left one without a wing, American media reported. Meanwhile, explosions were heard across parts of southern Iran according to local media reports.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the weekend BRICS summit, amid the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, joining a host of foreign dignitaries.
Ukrainian forces struck a Russian oil refinery in Siberia and a seaport in Dagestan in the past 24 hours, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. He will meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday to discuss air defences for Ukraine over winter.
Mexico and the U.S. are racing to secure a trade deal before the U.S. midterm elections in less than eight weeks, according to six sources familiar with the talks, with failed negotiations between Washington and Canada adding urgency.
A Russian strike on a gas station in Kyiv has killed two people, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a statement on Telegram. In Russia, online marketplace Ozon has suspended operations in Saratov, southwestern Russia, following a drone strike on a warehouse in the region.
Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut down its 1,200-kilometre East-West oil pipeline after it was hit by a drone attack, with Riyadh and Baghdad saying the strike originated from Iraq.
Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces struck two cargo vessels overnight in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Chornomorsk, the Interfax news agency reported on Saturday.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would “love” to see British-run Northern Ireland unify with Ireland, remarks made during a visit to Dublin that drew a sharp response from pro-British unionists in Northern Ireland.
BRICS leaders have called for maximum restraint over the war in the Middle East, warning against actions that could further worsen tensions as the United States and Iran resume strikes against each other.
Dubai’s property market has spent years climbing. Now, for the first time since 2021, prices are moving in the opposite direction.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment