LONDON/DEHRADUN: The Indian captain of a sanctioned Russian shadow fleet oil tanker intercepted by British armed forces while crossing the English Channel en route from Russia to India has been arrested in the UK and appeared in court charged with breaching sanctions, even as his family in Uttarakhand appealed to the Indian govt to secure his safe return.Ajay Pant, 38, a resident of Nainital district in Kumaon area of Uttarakhand, appeared via video link at Southampton magistrates’ court from Bournemouth police station on June 16, charged with “directly or indirectly supplying or delivering prohibited Russian oil from Russia to a third country by ship, in contravention of Regulation 46Z9B of the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.”His solicitor, James Diamond, told the court, “It was not his choice as to where this vessel was going or the cargo this vessel was carrying. He was simply following orders from those in the corporation. He is just an employee doing his job who now finds himself before a British court.”Prosecutor Varun Chuni told the court that Royal Marines and the National Crime Agency (NCA) boarded the vessel, MV Smyrtos, on the morning of June 14 after it entered UK territorial waters without a legitimate flag. Pant, identified as the vessel’s master, was arrested that evening and remanded in custody. District judge David Robinson sent the case to Bournemouth crown court for a plea and trial preparation hearing on July 16, with Pant remanded in custody in the interim. The offence carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.Uttarakhand home secretary Shailesh Bagauli told TOI on Friday that the state govt was aware of the matter and had written to the Centre seeking assistance. “We wrote to the ministry of external affairs two days ago to seek their assistance for Pant’s release and return. Our regional commissioner based in Delhi is coordinating with the central authorities in the matter,” he added.The high commission of India in the UK has been in contact with British authorities and has been granted consular access to Pant. Twenty-four crew members from Georgia and India remain on board the vessel, currently anchored off Weymouth in Dorset and being monitored for environmental and safety concerns.Meanwhile, Pant’s wife Ritu said that she learned of her husband’s arrest only through British media reports on social media, with no official communication received from either UK or Indian authorities. She added that her husband’s maritime career of over 15 years has been “spotless as he has worked while following all the applicable laws and regulations.” “His subordinates have always respected him since he rose in his career with hard work and integrity. He was just following orders from his corporation to captain the ship, and is not at fault.”Ritu also voiced concern for her husband’s safety in British custody. “We suspect that he would not be safe in the jail there. Hence, we appeal to the Indian govt to intervene in the matter as early as possible to ensure his safe return back home.” Echoing similar concerns, Manoj Yadav, general secretary of FSUI (Forward Seamen’s Union of India) said, “This is a really bad time for Indian seafarers in global shipping, especially if they are getting detained in a third country. Sanctions are not related to seafarers — why was no objection raised when they joined this vessel at a seaport? Most of the time, the crew is not aware if a vessel is sanctioned or not. If they board such a ship, it is not their fault. The British govt can take the vessel or destroy it, but why detain the crew?”According to maritime data and intelligence company Lloyd’s List, Smyrtos had loaded 1,01,400 tonnes of Urals crude at Russia’s Ust-Luga terminal on June 4 and was en route to the Indian port of Sikka in Gujarat. The tanker had flown the Cameroonian flag since December, but Cameroon removed it and 35 other shadow-fleet vessels from its registry earlier this month following EU diplomatic pressure, leaving it stateless. The boarding operation—the first of its kind led by the UK — saw Royal Marine Commandos rope down from a Chinook helicopter onto the tanker at night, with NCA officers subsequently inspecting its paperwork, as per a video released by the British ministry of defence (MoD). UK PM Keir Starmer said he had personally directed the operation, calling it “another blow to Russia”.Smyrtos has been under EU and UK sanctions since October 2025, and the MoD described it as part of a shadow fleet of 700 ships that transports 75% of Russia’s sanctioned oil exports and helps fund the war against Ukraine.A response from UK’s department for transport (DfT), received late Friday, said the vessel remains detained outside port limits at an anchorage off Weymouth, where it is being monitored around the clock by the appropriate authorities for the duration of its detention. The DfT said it was receiving regular updates on both the welfare of the crew and the maintenance of the vessel, while clarifying that legal responsibility for the crew and ship—including the provision of necessary supplies and arrangements for any onward travel—rests with the ship’s owner. “Any crew member wishing to disembark from the vessel would, subject to meeting relevant requirements, be permitted to enter the UK solely for the purpose of returning to their country of residence”, the department added.
