LONDON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - The captain of a container ship that crashed into a U.S. tanker off Britain's east coast last year did "absolutely nothing" to prevent an avoidable and fatal collision, British prosecutors said on Tuesday as his trial over a crew member's death began.
Russian national Vladimir Motin, 59, was captain of the Portuguese-flagged Solong which was heading to Rotterdam in the Netherlands when it hit the Stena Immaculate tanker, which was anchored, on March 10 2025.
The Solong was mainly carrying alcohol and some dangerous goods, including empty but unclean sodium cyanide containers, while the Stena Immaculate was carrying just over 220,000 barrels of high-grade aviation fuel, prosecutor Tom Little said.
The Stena Immaculate was waiting for a berth to discharge its cargo when it was hit, causing a fire which spread to both vessels, Little added. Jurors were played footage of the crash and its aftermath showing fire and smoke billowing into the sky.
Motin was charged days later with causing the death of Filipino national and Solong crew member Mark Pernia, 38, whose body has never been found and is presumed dead.
He has pleaded not guilty to one count of gross negligence manslaughter and is on trial at London's Old Bailey court, where Little said Pernia's death was "entirely avoidable".
CAPTAIN ACCUSED OF 'GROSSLY NEGLIGENT CONDUCT'
Little told jurors as Motin listened with the help of a Russian interpreter: "He (Pernia) would still be alive if it was not for the grossly negligent conduct of the man in the dock."
He said the Solong was on a collision course with the Stena Immaculate for over half an hour before the crash and was travelling at roughly 18 miles per hour (29 kph).
Little said Motin had sent WhatsApp messages to his wife after the crash, saying "there had been a disaster and he will be 'guilty'", to which his wife replied that he should say he did not see the other vessel on the ship's equipment.
The prosecutor told the court that Motin owed Pernia a duty of care as the Solong's captain and as he was "on sole watch duty on the bridge" before the fatal crash.
"Ultimately, he did nothing, absolutely nothing, to avoid the collision," Little added.
The Solong's alarm system, which was intended to ensure someone was on the vessel's bridge, had been switched off and was not active on the morning of the crash, he said.
Little added that the crew of the Stena Immaculate and the Solong were given no warning of the impending collision.
The trial is expected to conclude next month.
(Reporting by Sam Tobin and Corey Rudy; editing by Sarah Young and Tomasz Janowski)
