Captain of Solong cargo ship that collided with oil tanker charged with manslaughter

Vladimir Motin, 59, from St Petersburg, will appear at Hull Magistrates Court on Saturday.

The Russian captain of container ship Solong has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter over the North Sea collision with a US oil tanker on Monday.

Humberside Police say they have charged Vladimir Motin, 59, over the dramatic and costly collision, which left a Filipino sailor thrown overboard and declared dead after a frantic search.

Mark Angelo Pernia, 38, has been named as the crew member who is still missing after the crash between the Solong container ship and the US oil tanker, the Crown Prosecution Service said.

Thirty-six people from both vessels made it ashore.

The US oil tanker MV Stena Immaculate which was struck by the Solong container ship, in the Humber Estuary, off the east coast of Yorkshire (PA Wire)

Frank Ferguson, head of the Crown Prosecution Service Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: “We have authorised Humberside Police to charge a Russian national in relation to a collision involving two vessels in the North Sea off the east coast of England.

“Vladimir Motin, 59, from St Petersburg, Russia, who was the vessel’s captain, is due to be charged with one count of gross negligence manslaughter.

“The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against this defendant are now active and that he has the right to a fair trial.

“It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”

The damaged Solong vessel in the sea of Yorkshire (AP)

A Humberside Police spokesman said Mr Motin from Primorsky in St Petersburg will appear at Hull Magistrates Court on Saturday.

He added: “Extensive searches were carried out by HM Coastguard to locate the missing crew member, now presumed deceased.

“The family are being supported by specialist trained officers and our thoughts remain with them at this difficult time.”

The Stena Immaculate is still at anchor at the point where the collision happened, which is about 12 miles off the East Yorkshire coast, near Withernsea.

The Solong drifted south of this location, to a point where it could be seen off the Lincolnshire coast.

Tug boats shadow the Solong container ship as it drifts in the Humber Estuary, off the coast of East Yorkshire (PA Wire)

On Friday, chief coastguard Paddy O’Callaghan said the vessels are “stable” and salvors have boarded them both to continue damage assessments.

He said: “There are now only small periodic pockets of fire on the Solong which are not causing undue concern.

“Specialist tugs with firefighting capability remain at both vessels’ locations.

“Regular aerial surveillance flights continue to monitor the vessels and confirm that there continues to be no cause for concern from pollution from either the Stena Immaculate or from the Solong.”

Smoke rises from damaged containers on the deck of the MV Solong cargo ship (AFP via Getty Images)

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), which will lead the safety probe into the incident, has said that the Solong “altered course” at about 1.30am on Monday, as it passed to the east of Longstone lighthouse, on to “a heading of approximately 150 degrees”, which is a south-east direction.

The crash happened eight hours and 17 minutes later.

The ship was travelling at about 16.4 knots, the MAIB added, the equivalent land speed for which is 18.9mph.

The Solong frequently travelled between Grangemouth in Scotland and Rotterdam and regularly used the route it took on the day of the collision, the statement added.