Russian Containership Captain Pleads Not Guilty in Fatal Tanker Collision Off UK Coast

The captain of the Portuguese-flagged containership Solong has pleaded not guilty to charges of gross negligence manslaughter following a fatal collision with a U.S.-flagged tanker off Britain’s east coast.

Vladimir Motin, 59, of St. Petersburg, Russia, faces charges stemming from the March 10, 2025 incident, where his vessel collided with the anchored Stena Immaculate approximately 14 nautical miles northeast of Spurn Head.

According to the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch’s interim report, the Solong was traveling at 16 knots when it struck the Stena Immaculate’s port side. The impact breached the tanker’s cargo tank, causing aviation fuel to spill and ignite, with fire spreading to containers aboard the Solong.

The collision occurred in patchy visibility conditions, varying between 0.25 and 2.0 nautical miles. Neither vessel had a dedicated bridge lookout at the time.

Able seaman Mark Pernia, who was in the forecastle area during the collision, remains missing and is presumed dead.

The Stena Immaculate, operated by U.S.-based Crowley and chartered by the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command, was carrying over 220,000 barrels of aviation fuel and had been anchored under instructions from local port authorities.

Crowley maintains that the Stena Immaculate was “operating in compliance with applicable watch-standing safety regulations and company policies for an anchored vessel”.

The incident remains under investigation by authorities in the United Kingdom, United States, and Portugal.

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