A Russian cargo ship captain has been found guilty of gross negligence manslaughter after his vessel collided with a U.S. oil tanker in the North Sea last year, resulting in the death of a crew member.

Vladimir Motin, 59, was on sole watch when his ship, the Solong, struck the anchored Stena Immaculate off northeast England on March 10, 2025. Both vessels were carrying flammable cargo, and the crash triggered a massive fire that burned for eight days.

Filipino crew member Mark Angelo Pernia, 38, who was on the bow of the Solong, died instantly, and his body was never recovered.

Prosecutors told the London trial that Motin failed to slow the vessel, sound alarms, call for help, or attempt a crash stop, and accused him of lying about the incident.

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Senior specialist prosecutor Michael Gregory described the case as “a tragic and entirely avoidable death caused by truly exceptional negligence,” adding, “It is extremely fortunate that no one else was killed.”

Motin is due to be sentenced on Thursday.

The Solong, 130 meters long, was transporting mainly alcoholic spirits and some hazardous materials en route to Rotterdam, Netherlands. The Stena Immaculate, 183 meters long, was carrying jet fuel for the U.S. military.

Evidence presented at the trial included CCTV footage showing both ships engulfed in flames from leaking fuel, and a recording of the Stena Immaculate crew reacting in panic: “What just hit us … a container ship … this is no drill, fire fire fire, we have had a collision.”

Rescue teams managed to save 36 crew members from both vessels.