Russian captain denies manslaughter in North Sea collision
LONDON — The Russian captain of a cargo ship that collided with a U.S. tanker in the North Sea pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter of one of his crew at a U.K. court hearing on Friday.
Vladimir Motin, 59, from St. Petersburg, appeared by video link from prison for the pretrial hearing at London's Central Criminal Court. Assisted by a Russian interpreter, he denied a charge of gross manslaughter over the death of 38-year-old Mark Angelo Pernia.
Motin was ordered detained until his next hearing, and his trial was set for Jan. 12.
The Portugal-flagged cargo ship Solong was traveling at about 15 knots (17 mph or 28 km/h) when it hit the anchored tanker MV Stena Immaculate about 12 miles (19 kilometres) off the coast of northeast England on March 10, sparking a fire that lasted nearly a week. The tanker was transporting jet fuel for the U.S. military.
Rescuers saved 36 people from both ships. Pernia, from the Philippines, is missing and presumed dead.
U.K. authorities have said that there's nothing to indicate that the collision was connected to national security.
Environmental damage from the collision was far less than initially feared, though thousands of pellets used in plastics production, known as nurdles, from the ruptured containers on the Solong have since washed up along England's east coast.
Conservationists say the nurdles aren't toxic, but can harm animals if ingested.
The Associated Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Two drivers killed in head-on crash near Denbigh, Ont.
Two men are dead after a head-on highway collision near Denbigh, Ontario Provincial Police say. In a Thursday news release, OPP said the crash happened on Highway 28 near Trout Lake Road just before 8 p.m. on Wednesday. Renfrew County Paramedics said one driver was immediately pronounced dead. Paramedics attempted resuscitation of the other driver who died at the scene shortly after. There were no other passengers, police said, and paramedics said no one else was hurt in the crash. Denbigh Fire Department also responded to the scene. The identities of the two men have not been formally confirmed, police said. Highway 28 was reopened early Thursday morning. The OPP continues to investigate. Denbigh is about 160 kilometres west of Ottawa.
National Post
2 hours ago
- National Post
Two men dead after head-on collision in eastern Ontario: police
Article content Police say two drivers are dead following a head-on collision in eastern Ontario. Article content Ontario Provincial Police say the crash happened on Highway 28 near Trout Lake Road in Denbigh, Ont., located east of Bancroft, just before 8 p.m. on Wednesday. Article content Article content They say the drivers of the vehicles, both male, were pronounced dead on scene. Article content Police say their identities have not been confirmed. Article content OPP say Highway 28 was closed overnight for an on-scene investigation and has since reopened. Article content They say an investigation is ongoing with assistance from their reconstructionist and collision teams. Article content
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
Supreme Court won't hear case of Ontario man who fatally shot Indigenous man
The Supreme Court of Canada is seen, Friday, June 16, 2023 in CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld The case of an Ontario man found guilty of manslaughter in the fatal shooting of an Indigenous man has come to a close after Canada's top court declined to hear it. The Supreme Court of Canada has rejected a leave to appeal request from Peter Khill, who shot and killed Jonathan Styres after finding the man breaking into his truck in the early morning hours of Feb. 4, 2016. As is its standard practice, the high court did not give reasons for its decision to not hear the case. Khill was charged with second-degree murder and pleaded not guilty, testifying that he acted in self-defence and in accordance with his military training. In 2022, a jury found him not guilty of second-degree murder but guilty of the lesser offence of manslaughter. He was sentenced to eight years behind bars. Earlier this year, the Court of Appeal for Ontario dismissed his appeal regarding his conviction but reduced his sentence to six years. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 31, 2025.
