Russian captain of Solong container ship remanded in custody following crash with US oil tanker
by Danielle de Wolfe · LBCBy Danielle de Wolfe
The captain of container ship Solong which crashed into a US oil tanker off the Yorkshire coast has appeared in court charged with gross negligence manslaughter.
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Vladimir Motin, 59, the ship's Russian captain, was remanded in custody following his appearance at Hull Magistrates' Court on Saturday.
The detention of Motin, of Primorsky, St Petersburg, Russia, follows charges brought by Humberside Police on Friday evening.
The Portuguese-flagged Solong and US-registered tanker Stena Immaculate crashed in the North Sea on Monday morning, with one crew member from the Solong still missing, presumed dead.
Appearing in the dock behind a pane of glass during the 35-minute long hearing, Motin heard how the Solong collided with the US-flagged oil tanker, the Stena Immaculate, on Monday.
Clean-shaven and wearing glasses, the defendant was flanked by one security guard and had the help of a Russian interpreter.
There was no application made for bail and no pleas were entered by the defendant.
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The Crown Prosecution said that Filipino national Mark Angelo Pernia, 38, died following the collision between Mr Motin's vessel, the Solong, and the Stena Immaculate off the east coast of Yorkshire.
Thirty-six people from both vessels made it ashore following the collision.
Sporting short black hair, parted on the left, the defendant was wearing a grey T-shirt under a blue checked shirt and an unzipped black fleece jacket.
He spoke to confirm his name, date of birth and that he did not have an address in the UK.
Prosecutor Amelia Katz, who also appeared by videolink, told the court how the collision happened at about 9.47am on Monday at 10.2 nautical miles from the nearest point on the coast.
She said the 140m-long Solong was Portuguese-registered and was carrying about 157 containers.
Motin will now appear at the Old Bailey on 14 April.
Following the charges, a statement from the Humberside Police said: "An investigation by Humberside Police supported by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) into the collision between a tanker and a cargo vessel in the North Sea, off the coast of East Yorkshire, has resulted in a man being charged.
"The captain of the Solong vessel, Vladimir Motin, 59 years old, of Primorsky, St Petersburg, Russia, has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter and been remanded in police custody to appear at Hull Magistrates' Court tomorrow.
"On Monday, 10 March, Humberside Police received a report at around 11am that a collision had occurred between the two vessels, resulting in one crew member being reported missing.
"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."