Tanker crash captain in court over crew death

Vladimir Motin was the captain of the Solong cargo ship

The captain of a cargo ship that crashed into an oil tanker in the North Sea has appeared before a court in London.

Vladimir Motin was in charge of the Portuguese-flagged cargo ship Solong, which collided with the US tanker Stena Immaculate off the East Yorkshire coast on 10 March.

Mark Angelo Pernia, 38, a Filipino crew member on the Solong, is missing presumed dead.

Mr Motin, 59, from Primorsky in St Petersburg, Russia, pleaded not guilty to gross negligence manslaughter at a previous hearing.

His latest appearance earlier at the Old Bailey concerned his time in custody, which was extended by the Recorder of London, Judge Mark Lucraft KC.

Mr Motin appeared by video link from prison and followed proceedings with the assistance of a Russian interpreter.

He will return to court for a further case management hearing on 21 November before his trial begins in January.

The crash took place about 13 miles (20km) off the East Yorkshire coast, near Hull and Grimsby, in a busy shipping area.

The Solong had been making its way south from the Scottish port of Grangemouth to Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

According to an interim report into the crash, produced by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch, 36 crew were saved by rescuers from both ships.

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