The Captain of the cargo ship Solong that collided with oil tanker Stena Immaculate told the court that new stickers on the steering controls caused the tragic incident, which led to the death of a crew member and both vessels bursting into flames.

The 59-year old Vladimir Motin was in command of the Solong when it hit the anchored Stena Immaculate near the Humber Estuary on March 10 last year.

Mark Angelo Pernia, 38, was among the crew onboard Solong whose body was never found, and he was declared dead.

In the ongoing trial, the captain has told the court that he has been the captain of the vessel since 2009 and has been a seafarer since 1985.

He added that the route was familiar to him as he had sailed on it several times on board the Solong.

He referred to his conversation with the company’s agents in Rotterdam, where he came to know that Solong’s sister ship, the Samskip Express, had also experienced a steering problem.

It had suffered a rudder blockage without any alarms.

Motin was asked if Solong had faced similar issues, and the agent also told him how to manage it in case such a situation arises.

The agent instructed him to restart the steering gear, stop the pump and start it again.

Motin also informed the jury that the ship’s other captain had changed the stickers on the control buttons, which confused him.

The buttons for autopilot and manual steering were clearly labelled initially, but were then changed to a picture of a wheel and a smiley face.

Additionally, a red sticker was kept over a red light to show whether a button was on or off, adding to his confusion.

Motin, who was alone at watch duty at that time, has denied manslaughter by gross negligence.

He also stated that as his ship sailed towards the tanker, he tried to disengage the autopilot but was not able to do so until after the incident.

There were attempts to find Pernia’s body, but flames from the burning vessel made it impossible.