North Sea ship crash captain denies manslaughter of crew member | UK News

The captain of a cargo ship that crashed into an oil tanker in the North Sea has pleaded not guilty to gross negligence manslaughter.

Vladimir Motin was captain of the Portuguese-flagged cargo ship Solong which crashed into the US tanker Stena Immaculate off the East Yorkshire coast on 10 March.

Mark Angelo Pernia, 38, a Filipino crew member on the Solong, is missing presumed dead.

Mr Motin, 59, and from Primorsky in St Petersburg, Russia, was remanded in custody until trial. A further case management hearing has been set for 10 September.

Assisted by a Russian interpreter, Mr Motin confirmed his identity before he entered his plea at London’s Central Criminal Court, known as the Old Bailey, via video link from prison.

A trial date has been set for 12 January 2026.

The crash took place about 13 miles (20km) off the East Yorkshire coast, near Hull and Grimsby, in a busy shipping area.

The Solong had been making its way south from the Scottish port of Grangemouth to Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

According to an interim report into the crash, produced by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch, 36 crew were saved by rescuers from both ships.