Tanker crash captain on trial over crew death

The captain of a cargo ship that crashed into an oil tanker in the North Sea has gone on trial at the Old Bailey in London over the alleged death of a crew member.

Vladimir Motin was in charge of the Portuguese-flagged cargo ship Solong, which collided with 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.

Motin, 59, from Primorsky in St Petersburg, Russia, has pleaded not guilty to gross negligence manslaughter.

Opening the case for the prosecution, Tom Little KC said the trial was about "the entirely avoidable death of a seaman".

"Ultimately, he would still be alive if it was not for the grossly negligent behaviour of the defendant," the barrister said.

Little said the "collision course was obvious when seen from the bridge" and, before that, on the computer equipment on the bridge".

The prosecutor added: "Despite an obvious collision course, the defendant did not deviate his course.

"The defendant was responsible for navigating the ship. He was on sole watch duty on the bridge at the time.

"Ultimately, he did nothing, absolutely nothing, to avoid the collision."

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

Little said the ship should have gone to the east to avoid other vessels at anchor waiting to enter the Humber Estuary.

"The course taken led to the fatality that this case is all about," the prosecutor added.

The trial continues.

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