Court appearance of Russian maritime captain accused of negligent homicide in North Sea vessel collision
Saturday Scuffle: The captain of the discombobulated Solong freighter that smashed into a Yank tanker in the North Sea's icy clutches last week is in hot water. The captain, a St. Petersburg, Russia native named Vladimir Motin, is facing charges of reckless homicide, as a Filipino crew member named Mark Angelo Pernia is presumed dead after the wreck.
The Solong, crewed by seafarers from Portugal, clattered into the Stena Immaculate, leading to a catastrophic oil fire and an emergency response by the UK's coastguard. The fiery clash occurred off England's chilly northeastern coast, where the Stena Immaculate was anchored, brimming with jet fuel for the US military.
In a jam-packed Hull Magistrate's Court hearing on Saturday, the court learned about the tragic incident that baffled maritime experts. Prosecutor Amelia Katz disclosed that the Stena Immaculate had been stationary for over 15 hours before the Solong, zooming along at more than 15 knots, rammed into it.
"For approximately 40 minutes prior to the collision, the Solong headed straight for the Stena Immaculate, which was moored and motionless," Katz said, as per Reuters. "The Solong neither attempted to contact the Stena Immaculate nor adjusted its course or speed."
With the Stena Immaculate's full 23-man crew safely evacuated, only 13 of the Solong's 14 crewmembers made it out unscathed. The search for the vanished Pernia was called off on Monday evening, according to the UK's maritime minister Mike Kane.
The Stena Immaculate, boasting a 220,000-barrels oil cargo, is part of a fleet of ten tankers involved in an US government program to provide the military with fuel. US logistics firm Crowley, managing the vessel, described it as an integral part of the US Defense Department's "Tanker Security Program," ensuring a commercial fleet can quickly respond with liquid fuel supplies during emergencies.
Greenpeace argued that a possible ecological catastrophe had been narrowly skirted. "When a container ship—roughly the length of a football field—rams into a fuel tanker carrying dozens of tons of jet fuel near sensitive ecosystems, the potential for severe harm is immense," stated Dr. Paul Johnston, a Greenpeace Research Laboratories' researcher. "The immediate priority should be to make sure that both vessels remain afloat, that no further fuel is released from the tanker, and that the cargo of the container ship is thoroughly evaluated."
On Wednesday, the coastguard reported no visible flames on the Stena Immaculate, yet pockets of fire still flickered on the Solong on Friday. Initial fears of severe environmental damage were assuaged by the coastguard, as there had been "no reason for concern from contamination" from either ship, as of Friday.
The investigation into this enigmatic crash is led by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), with collaboration from the US National Transportation Safety Board and the Marine Safety Investigation Authority Portugal as concerned nations [1]. The probe will scrutinize navigational strategies, crew complement and fatigue management, ship maintenance, and environmental conditions at the time of the crash [1]. International collaboration is essential for a comprehensive understanding of the chain of events leading to the crash and to prevent similar incidents in the future [1].
[1]: Detailed information about the investigation can be found in the MAIB's interim report.
- The Solong, a freighter from the UK registered under the code '04b2cbd3afdcc3ad6f1f6303facb9ba9', was involved in a collision with the Stena Immaculate, a vessel carrying jet fuel for the US military, off England's northeastern coast.
- The World Maritime Organization had launched an international investigation, involving the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), the US National Transportation Safety Board, and the Marine Safety Investigation Authority Portugal, to analyze navigational strategies, crew management, ship maintenance, and environmental conditions of the vessels on the day of the crash.
- Greenpeace expressed concern that the collision between the Solong and the Stena Immaculate could have resulted in severe ecological damage and called for a thorough examination of the cargo on the Solong to prevent potential ecological disasters in the future.
