Home / Crime and Justice / Captain's Choice: US Lives Over Ship Safety
Captain's Choice: US Lives Over Ship Safety
26 Jan
Summary
- Captain prioritized saving American lives over crash stop.
- Collision resulted in one crew member's death.
- The captain believed a crash stop would endanger US tanker crew.
A Russian captain testified in court that his primary concern during a fatal ship collision was saving American lives. Vladimir Motin, 59, was on watch last March when his container ship, the Solong, crashed into the Stena Immaculate, a US-registered oil tanker. The collision ignited a large fire and resulted in the death of 38-year-old crew member Mark Angelo Pernia.
Motin told jurors he opted against a "crash stop" maneuver, believing it would endanger the American crew on the tanker. He stated, "I put life of American crew in danger if I hit accommodation." He also admitted to failing to correctly switch the vessel from autopilot to manual steering, a mistake he described as his own. The ship was carrying over 220,000 barrels of aviation fuel from Greece to the UK.
The captain claimed he was unaware that Mr. Pernia was on the bow of the Solong at the time of impact. He did not raise an alarm or contact the Stena Immaculate beforehand, as he was focused on vessel control. Motin, who had made several previous trips between Scotland and Holland, denied falling asleep and insisted he remained at his post. He is currently denying a charge of manslaughter.
