Six years for captain after fatal collision
Solong and Stena Immaculate collision – the aftermath. Image courtesy of Humberside Police
A fatal North Sea collision that claimed the life of a seafarer has ended with a prison sentence for the captain found responsible. Vladimir Motin (of St Petersburg, Russia), captain of the cargo vessel Solong, has been jailed for six years after a London court ruled that the tragedy was entirely avoidable – and the result of a fundamental failure of seamanship.
Crew member, able seaman Mark Pernia, from Solong was unaccounted for after the incident. HM Coastguard carried out extensive searches to locate him, but he was later declared deceased due to the length of time that had passed since the collision and the survivability within the extremely hostile environment.
Fatal collision off East Yorkshire coast
The collision occurred between two vessels in the North Sea on 10 March 2025, approximately 10.2 miles off the coast of East Yorkshire.
A multi-agency rescue operation was launched and led by HM Coastguard. This resulted in all 23 crew members being safely rescued and accounted for from Stena Immaculate, and from Solong, 13 of the 14 crew members were accounted for and also rescued. All were brought ashore to Grimsby Docks.
Watch footage of the incident, and the way it unfolded
The following video – shared by Humberside Police – includes shocking images of the collision and the damage in the aftermath.
After the accident, burnt material and plastic pellets, also known as nurdles, washed up along the UK’s east coast raising environmental concerns.
Judge condemns complacency and arrogance
The trial heard that Motin did not keep a proper lookout or use all available means to determine the risk of a collision. Nor did he leave enough time to take evasive action.
Justice Andrew Baker said Motin had fallen prey to his own “complacency and arrogance”. He says Motin was a serious accident waiting to happen.
The tanker was visible on the Solong’s radar display for 36 minutes before impact, yet Motin failed to steer away from the collision course, sound the alarm, summon help or initiate a crash stop, reports the BBC from the trial.
Motin denied he had been asleep, or had left his post.
Father-of-two Mark Angelo Pernia, from the Philippines, is missing presumed dead. The judge says Pernia’s death was “wholly avoidable”.
Captain failed in basic duties
Motin was arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter immediately after the incident – the collision with the tanker in the North Sea occurred on 10 March 2025.
“Motin completely failed in his duty as a captain, causing the death of one of his own crew and endangering the remaining lives of the crews of both vessels,” says detective chief superintendent Craig Nicholson. “Motin has shown no remorse at any stage of the investigation or court proceedings, and even though he has now been sentenced and held accountable for his crimes, it will not bring Mark back.
“I sincerely hope today’s outcome offers Mark’s family some measure of solace and my thoughts remain with them today.”
Solong‘s owner, Hamburg-based maritime company Ernst Russ, confirmed that the vessel was sailing under a Portuguese flag, and had a crew comprising a mix of Russian and Filipino nationals.
Further details of the fatal incident
The crash occurred approximately 12 miles off the east Yorkshire coast when Solong, traveling at about 16 knots (18 mph) from Grangemouth, Scotland, to Rotterdam, Netherlands, struck the Stena Immaculate – which was carrying 220,000 barrels of jet fuel for the US military. The tanker, which had arrived from the Peloponnese region of Greece, was anchored while awaiting port access in the Humber. The impact caused fires and explosions on both ships and led to a large-scale emergency response, including the HM Coastguard rescue helicopter, lifeboats and nearby firefighting vessels.
Solong, with a 14-strong crew, was carrying mainly alcoholic spirits and some hazardous substances, including empty but unclean sodium cyanide containers.
Renewed focus on maritime watchkeeping
The accident led to MAIB (Marine Accident Investigation Branch) calling for a radical rethink of the role of human watchkeepers as technology is way ahead of human capabilities in the role.
“Significant collisions between and groundings of merchant vessels show no sign of reducing,” Andrew Moll, chief inspector of marine accidents said in July 2025. And this means, there’s “a need to radically rethink the role of human watchkeepers in the digital age.
“Humans do not make good monitors and if under-stimulated they will find other things to occupy themselves.”
The case has sent a stark message through the maritime sector about accountability at sea. With radar warnings missed, basic procedures ignored and lives put at risk, the judgment reinforces a hard truth: vigilance on the bridge is not optional – and complacency can carry criminal consequences.
