Russian captain denies negligence in 2025 UK ship collision that killed one crew member.

Russian captain Vladimir Motin, 59, denies gross negligence manslaughter over a March 2025 collision between his container ship Solong and the US tanker Stena Immaculate near the Humber Estuary, which killed crew member Mark Angelo Pernia, 38. Motin, the only person on watch, said he did not perform a crash stop to avoid harming crew in the tanker’s accommodation block, attempted manual steering after autopilot failure—though the rudder didn’t respond—and admitted failing to properly switch to manual control, but maintained the ship was technically sound and he never left his post. The trial continues at the Old Bailey.