A Russian ship captain has been found guilty of manslaughter after his negligence turned the North Sea into an inferno. Vladimir Motin, 59, was the sole watchman when his cargo ship, the *Solong*, ploughed into an anchored oil tanker, killing a father-of-two.

The verdict, delivered at the Old Bailey in London today, brings a grim closure to a tragedy that was entirely preventable. On March 10 last year, Motin allowed his 130-meter vessel to slam into the *Stena Immaculate* off the Yorkshire coast. The collision sparked a towering fireball that instantly claimed the life of Filipino sailor Mark Angelo Pernia, 38. Pernia’s body was never recovered, consumed by the flames or lost to the sea, leaving his widow and two children—one of whom he never met—with nothing but a void.

"He Did Absolutely Nothing"

The court heard chilling details of the captain’s incompetence. For 36 minutes, the *Stena Immaculate* was visible on the *Solong’s* radar. It was a sitting duck, heavily laden with aviation fuel. Yet, Motin, who was alone on the bridge, failed to alter course or slow down. Prosecutors told the jury he "did absolutely nothing" to avert the catastrophe until it was too late.

Motin’s defense that he tried to disengage the autopilot was rejected by the jury, who deliberated for eight hours before convicting him of manslaughter by gross negligence. The Russian national stood emotionless as the verdict was read, a stark contrast to the devastation he unleashed on the Pernia family.

• The Human Cost: Mark Angelo Pernia’s wife was seven months pregnant when he died. She gave birth to a child who will only know their father through court transcripts.
• The Environmental Near-Miss: The *Stena Immaculate* was carrying hazardous cargo. The collision risked an environmental disaster that could have devastated the British coastline.
• The Sentence: Motin has been remanded in custody and faces a lengthy prison term when he is sentenced on Thursday.

A Warning to the Waves

This conviction sends a powerful signal to the maritime industry. The bridge of a ship is not a place for complacency. Motin’s failure to keep a proper lookout turned a routine voyage into a death trap. In the eyes of the law, his inaction was not just an error; it was a crime.

As Motin awaits his sentence, the maritime community must reckon with the lethal consequences of fatigue and negligence. For the Pernia family in the Philippines, justice has been served, but it is a cold comfort. No verdict can retrieve a body from the bottom of the North Sea.