Summary
British police charged Russian captain Vladimir Motin with gross negligence manslaughter after his cargo ship, Solong, collided with the U.S. military-linked tanker MV Stena Immaculate, leaving crew member Mark Angelo Pernia missing and presumed dead.
The collision occurred in the North Sea, and investigations are underway by U.K., U.S., and Portuguese authorities.
Previous inspections found multiple safety deficiencies on the Solong. Motin, arrested in England, will appear in court Saturday.
Officials say there is no evidence linking the incident to national security concerns.
Port inspection documents show the Solong failed steering-related safety checks in Dublin, Ireland, in July, with the vessel’s “emergency steering position communications/compass reading” unreadable. Inspectors found a total of 10 deficiencies, including “inadequate” alarms, survival craft “not properly maintained” and fire doors “not as required.”
An inspection in Scotland in October found two other deficiencies. The ship wasn’t detained after either inspection.
Maritime law is a mystery to me. Who the fuck okayed this?
“Bon voyage, losers! The ship is a floating death trap, but whatever.”
Do they typically detain ships that aren’t an immediate danger?
They ought to rethink that. There was enough wrong that it sounds like an immediate danger to the crew. Hell, in the US, just "inadequate” alarms and fire doors “not as required” would be enough to close a building until they were fixed.
What do these people consider an “immediate danger”, anyway? A ship that’s actually sinking or burning at the time of inspection?
Have you been to any inner city public school in the last ten years
Good point
Incoming U.S. pardon
That was the first thing I thought, too, but thankfully he was charged by British police!
Why would America have any say in English law in English waters? They can feck off back across the pond to their fascist country if they think they can dictate the rule of UK law.
