At a U.K. judge hearing on Friday, the Russian commander of a cargo ship that collided with a US cargo in the North Sea entered a plea no criminal to murder. Vladimir Motin, 59, from St Petersburg, made the video link appearance at the preliminary hearing at London’s Central Criminal Court. He disputed a charge of total murder stemming from the suicide of 38-year-old Mark Angelo Pernia, who was assisted by a Russian speaker. Test for Motin was scheduled for January 12 after being ordered to hold him until his next hearing. The Portuguese-flagged cargo ship Solong struck the anchored tanker MV Stena Immaculate on March 10, igniting a nearly week-long fire that burned at about 15 knots ( 17 mph or 28 kph ). The cargo was carrying jet fuel for the U.S. military. 36 people were saved by the firefighters on both submarines. Pernia, a Filipino, is missing and presumed dying. Specialists in the UK have stated that there is no evidence to support a claim that the incident had to do with national security. Although thousands of granules used in plastics manufacturing, known as nurdles, from the damaged containers on the Solong have since been washed up along England’s eastern coast, the impact was much less severe than originally anticipated. Environmentalists claim that the nurdles aren’t dangerous but can harm creatures if consumed.
