The Russian master of a container ship involved in a fiery collision in the North Sea appeared in a London court charged with gross negligence manslaughter.

Vladimir Motin, 59, of Primorsky, St Petersburg, Russia, spoke only to confirm his name during a short hearing at the Old Bailey in London on Monday.

Bespectacled Motin, wearing a grey sweatshirt, appeared via video link from a prison in Hull, where he has been held since being charged over the collision on 10 March.