"During the trial, Motin claimed he had pressed the wrong button when he tried to switch off autopilot and steer away from the tanker in the minutes before the crash. He denied he had been asleep or had left his post on the bridge. The judge said Motin's account was extremely problematic, improbable, extremely implausible and even worse than the prosecution's version of events."
"The prosecution asserted that Motin had failed to keep a proper watch for a lengthy period of time and then failed to sound the alarm, summon help or warn either crew of the impending disaster. Jailing Motin, from St Petersburg, the judge told him: You were a serious accident waiting to happen. The experienced mariner had shown a blatant disregard for the very high risk of death and fallen prey to his own complacency and arrogance, the judge said."
A Russian container ship, the Solong, collided with the stationary oil tanker Stena Immaculate in the North Sea off Yorkshire, causing an explosion and fire. Vladimir Motin, 59, was the sole watch officer and failed to keep a proper lookout or take action to avoid the collision. The blast instantly killed Mark Angelo Pernia, a 38-year-old Filipino crew member whose body was never recovered; he left behind a five-year-old and a child born after his death. Motin claimed he pressed the wrong button when attempting to disengage autopilot and denied sleeping or abandoning the bridge, but his account was judged extremely implausible. A jury convicted Motin of manslaughter by gross negligence and he was sentenced to six years, with the judge describing him as a serious accident waiting to happen.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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