Overview
- At the Old Bailey, the defense said Vladimir Motin detected the anchored Stena Immaculate on radar about nine nautical miles out, gained visual contact at roughly three miles, and attempted to take Solong off autopilot to turn to starboard at about one mile, but the ship did not alter course.
- Opening the case, prosecutors argued Motin was on sole watch and did nothing to avert a direct collision that was apparent for over half an hour, with the tanker visible on Solong’s radar around 36 minutes before impact.
- Jurors were told the Bridge Navigation Watch Alarm System on Solong had been switched off since December 2024, removing an automatic safeguard intended to ensure an alert presence on the bridge.
- The March 10, 2025 crash near the Humber Estuary ruptured a jet-fuel tank on the US‑flagged Stena Immaculate, set both ships ablaze, and left Solong crewman Mark Angelo Pernia, 38, missing and presumed dead.
- The trial is expected to last several weeks with CCTV, navigation data and messages presented, and the incident has also prompted beach cleanups of more than 16 tonnes of plastic pellets and competing civil claims by the ships’ owner and operator.