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The captain of a container ship that crashed into a U.S. oil tanker off the coast of England has appeared in court, facing charges of gross negligence manslaughter.
Russian national Vladimir Motin, 59, was in charge of the Portuguese-flagged Solong when it collided with the Stena Immaculate on Monday.
The tanker, carrying military jet fuel, had been anchored for over 15 hours before the accident.
Prosecutor Amelia Katz stated that Solong was traveling at over 15 knots (27.8 km/h) and was on a direct collision course for more than 40 minutes without any attempts to change speed or direction.
The crash resulted in the death of a Filipino crew member, Mark Angelo Pernia, 38.
While all other crew members from both vessels were rescued, Pernia could not be found. The impact caused an explosion and spilled jet fuel into the sea, but environmental damage was limited as most of the fuel burned off.
Motin did not request bail and remains in custody as investigations continue.
