Solong’s Captain Appears in Court for Arraignment for Manslaughter

The captain of the Portuguese-flagged containership Solong which hit the American-flagged tanker Stena Immaculate on March 10 off England made a brief court appearance on Saturday. The Humberside Police reported on Friday that they had officially charged him with gross negligence manslaughter and remanded him to police custody after announcing the arrest of the 59-year-old on Tuesday, March 11.

Vladimir Motin of Primorsky, St Petersburg, in Russia, appeared Saturday morning, March 15, in a court in Hull, England for the formal reading of the charges. Reports said he appeared with an interpreter and did not enter a plea. The court ordered him held and set a hearing for April 14 at the Central Criminal Court known in the UK as the “Old Bailey.”

During the hearing which lasted less than an hour, prosecutor Amelia Katz provided the first details surrounding the incident. She told the court Motin had taken the watch about three hours before the allision and was in command when the containership hit the tanker. She told the court records show the vessel was traveling at a speed above 15 knots.

Reuters quotes the prosecutor as telling the court, "For a period of over 40 minutes before the collision, the Solong was on a direct route for impact with the Stena Immaculate, which was anchored and stationary. There were no communication attempts from the Solong to warn of the impending collision and the Solong did not adjust its course or speed at any point."

Frank Ferguson, Head of the Crown Prosecution Service Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said yesterday in a statement that they had authorized the charging of Motin. He noted that Filipino national Mark Angelo Pernia, age 38 and a crewmember on the Solong, was missing and presumed to have died during the collision and subsequent fires. His death promoted the manslaughter charge.

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

Friday evening, a spokesperson for the owners of the containership, Ernst Russ, told The Maritime Executive, "It would?be inappropriate for us to comment on ongoing police investigations. We are fully supporting the crew and assisting?the investigation into the incident."

There have been no additional updates regarding the status of the two vessels after Friday’s report from HM Coastguard that said they remained stable while salvage teams were planning the next steps. Small fires were still periodically appearing on the Solong but HM Coastguard said they were “not causing undue concern.”

The Solong is being held in position by a tow line. There has been some speculation online that an effort would be made to tow the ship out of the North Sea although it has not yet been confirmed by any of the authorities. The Stena Immaculate remains where it anchored on Sunday, March 9, more than 15 hours before it was struck by the Solong.