A London court has found Russian national Vladimir Motin guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence following a deadly ship collision in the North Sea last year. After more than eight hours of deliberations, a jury at the Old Bailey convicted Motin over the death of Filipino sailor Mark Angelo Pernia, who was lost at sea after the crash. Motin has been remanded in custody and is scheduled to be sentenced later this week.

The fatal incident occurred in March when Motin’s cargo vessel, the Solong, collided at speed with the anchored oil tanker Stena Immaculate off the eastern coast of the United Kingdom. The impact triggered a massive fire aboard both vessels and led to a large-scale rescue operation. Pernia, 38, who was married and had a young child, went missing during the blaze, and his body has never been recovered.

Investigators described the incident as a “senseless tragedy” that could have resulted in even greater loss of life. Prosecutors told the court that Pernia’s wife, who was seven months pregnant at the time of the accident, lives in a remote part of the Philippines and would need special arrangements to watch the sentencing proceedings remotely.

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During the trial, Motin’s defence argued that he had attempted to disengage the ship’s autopilot and manually alter course to avoid the collision. However, prosecutors countered that the captain failed to take effective action despite being on a clear collision course. They stressed that a simple course correction made earlier could have entirely prevented the crash.

The jury heard that Motin was a highly experienced mariner who had captained the Solong for 15 years. Audio recordings from the ship’s bridge revealed a calm atmosphere shortly before the collision, with casual conversations and music playing, followed by an eerie silence as the vessel approached the tanker. The moment of impact was described as extremely loud and distressing.

Phone footage recorded by the ship’s third-in-command showed flames and thick smoke engulfing the vessel moments after the collision. The prosecution argued that Motin “could and should” have acted differently, a view the jury ultimately accepted. The verdict brings legal closure to one of the most serious maritime disasters in UK waters in recent years, though questions around ship safety and accountability continue to linger.

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