Captain Vladimir Motin was sentenced to six years’ jail on February 2 after being found guilty of “gross negligence manslaughter” for his role in the container ship Solong’s ramming of the anchored
Captain Vladimir Motin was sentenced to six years’ jail on February 2 after being found guilty of “gross negligence manslaughter” for his role in the container ship Solong’s ramming of the anchored tanker Stena Immaculate in March 2025.
The circumstances of his case, heard at the Old Bailey in London, are different to those of Ali Albokhari, currently serving a 30-year term in a Turkish jail, but the contrast that is even more apparent is the mismatch in due process and access to justice, says David Hammond, Founder of the NGO Human Rights at Sea.
“We do have to respect individual countries jurisdiction - but also we need to articulate the need for transparent investigation processes, due process rights, and the potential for excessive sentencing,” says Hammond.
Passing sentence on Motin, Justice Andrew Baker said the captain had fallen prey to his own complacency and arrogance. “You were a serious accident waiting to happen.”
ALBOKHARI CASE
In comparison, in Chief Mate Albokhari’s case, he and the Phoenician M’s Captain Marko Bekavac were convicted of “class A drug smuggling” seemingly without evidence to directly connect them to the drugs found on the vessel, with the verdict made after the men spent
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