A Russian ship’s captain has been jailed for six years after his container vessel crashed into a US oil tanker in the North Sea last March, killing one crew member.
Vladimir Motin, 59, was found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence at the Old Bailey on Monday.
The court heard his vessel, the Solong, struck the Stena Immaculate near the Humber Estuary. Both vessels were laden with flammable goods and were engulfed in the resulting blaze.
Mark Angelo Pernia, 38, who was working on the Solong’s bow, died instantly in the fire, although his body was never recovered.
During his trial, Motin told jurors he made a “mistake” and pressed the wrong button when he tried to take his ship out of autopilot. He claimed that efforts to restart the steering gear had no effect.
But the prosecution said Mr Pernia’s death was the result of “truly, exceptionally bad negligence” and that Motin had lied about what happened, failed to summon help, slow down, sound the alarm or instigate a crash stop as a last resort.
During sentencing on Thursday, Mr Justice Andrew Baker described Motin’s account as “extremely implausible” and “even worse” than the prosecution’s version of events.
He said Motin’s failure to keep a proper lookout amounted to a “wholesale failure of his duty”.
The judge added that Mr Pernia died while his wife was pregnant and never got to see his baby or be reunited with his other 5 year-old daughter.
A statement was read to the court from Mr Pernia’s wife, which the judge said offered a “glimpse into the irreparable suffering caused, Captain Motin, by your gross negligence”.
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