Russian captain charged with gross negligence in the North Sea shipping accident

Russian captain charged with gross negligence in the North Sea shipping accident

The Russian captain of the freighter solong US flag collided tanker, appeared in front of an English court on Saturday due to gross negligence. The incident gives rise to serious questions regarding maritime security.

The incident in the North Sea

The ship Solong, who was driving under Portuguese flag, collided with the Tanker Stena Immaculate on Monday, while it was in front of England in front of the northeast coast of England and transported large amounts of jet fuel for the US military. This collision led to a fire on both ships and required an emergency rescue use of the British coast guard.

The court ruling

The captain of the Solong, Vladimir Motin, 59 years old and from St. Petersburg, appeared in the Hull Magistrat’s Court after the responsibility for the death of Mark Angelo Pernia, a 38-year-old Filipino Crew member, was charged, who could no longer be found after the accident and was considered dead.

Details of the collision

In a 35-minute hearing, it was reported that the Solong crashed into the Stena Immaculate at high speed, an incident that Maritime experts call “puzzles”. The prosecutor Amelia Katz said that the Stena Immaculates was more than 15 hours ahead of anchor before the Solong, who drove with over 15 knots, drove into it.

missing attempts to communicate

Katz stated: “Over a period of more than 40 minutes before the collision, the Solong headed directly to the stationary Stena Immaculate without any warnings or course adjustments being made.”

rescue operations and countermeasures

The entire 23-member crew of the Stena Immaculate could be saved, while only 13 out of 14 crew members of the Solong were brought to safety. The British Maritime Minister Mike Kane announced that the search and rescue operation for the missing crew member, which was later identified as Pernia, was discontinued on Monday evening.

ecological effects and reactions

The Stena Immaculates, which according to Kane transported 220,000 barrel Jet fuel, is part of a fleet of 10 tankers who are responsible for a US government program for the military's fuel supply. The US logistics company Crowley, which manages the tanker, explained that the ship is part of the “Tanker Security Program” of the US Department of Defense, which ensures that a commercial fleet can quickly transport liquid fuel deliveries if necessary.

environmental protection measures

Although the crash initially caused concern about possible environmental damage, the British coast guard said on Friday that “there was still no reason to worry about pollution” of both ships. Greenpeace, however, expressed that an environmental disaster was apparently “narrowly averted”.

dr. Paul Johnston from the Greenpeace research laboratories said: “If a container ship in the size of a soccer field with a tanker that transports thousands of tons of jet fuel, collides with 16 knots near sensitive nature reserves, the potential for serious damage is enormous.”

conclusion and outlook

The British coast guard announced that the Stena Immaculates remain anchor, while the Solong is held in a safe position off the coast by a tractor. The priority should now be to ensure that both ships remain floating and that no further fuels leave the tanker.