The captain of a cargo ship that collided with a tanker in the North Sea has been found guilty of gross negligence manslaughter.
Vladimir Motin was the only person on watch duty on the Solong when it hit US tanker Stena Immaculate off the East Yorkshire coast on 10 March 2025, leaving Mark Angelo Pernia, 38, a crew member on the Solong, missing presumed dead.
A trial at the Old Bailey in London heard Motin did not keep a proper lookout and did not use all available means to determine the risk of a collision, or leave enough time to take evasive action.
Motin, 59, from St Petersburg, Russia, is due to be sentenced at a later date.
The jury returned a unanimous verdict shortly before 15:00 GMT on Monday.
Defence barristers previously told the trial there was “no doubt” Motin was at fault for the collision, but claimed his actions did not amount to gross negligence manslaughter.
However, prosecutor Julia Faure-Walker said Motin had lied about what happened to “get back to his wife” in Russia.
