UK Arrests Indian Ship Captain After Intercepting Russian Shadow Fleet Tanker, Family Seeks Govt Help
UK Arrests Indian Ship Captain After Intercepting Russian Shadow Fleet Tanker, Family Seeks Govt Help Published By, Last Updated: June 21, 2026, 08:31 IST The
UK Arrests Indian Ship Captain After Intercepting Russian Shadow Fleet Tanker, Family Seeks Govt Help Published By, Last Updated: June 21, 2026, 08:31 IST The court has now sent the case to Bournemouth Crown Court for a plea and trial preparation hearing scheduled for July 16. The offence carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. Rapid Read Representative Image (PTI) An Indian captain of a sanctioned Russian “shadow fleet" oil tanker has been arrested in the United Kingdom after the vessel was intercepted by British armed forces in the English Channel while sailing from Russia to India, with his family in Uttarakhand appealing to the Indian government to secure his safe return. The accused, Ajay Pant, 38, a resident of Nainital in Uttarakhand, appeared via video link before Southampton magistrates’ court from Bournemouth PS on June 16. He has been 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 Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019." During the proceedings, his solicitor James Diamond argued, “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 informed the court that Royal Marines and officers from the Crime Agency boarded the vessel MV Smyrtos on June 14 after it entered UK territorial waters without a legitimate flag. Pant, identified as the ship’s master, was subsequently arrested and remanded in custody. The court has now sent the case to Bournemouth Crown Court for a plea and trial preparation hearing scheduled for July 16. The offence carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. Back in India, Uttarakhand home secretary Shailesh Bagauli said the state government had approached the Centre for assistance. “We wrote to MEA two days ago to seek their assistance for Pant’s release and return. Our regional commissioner based in Delhi is coordinating with central authorities in the matter," he said. The Indian High Commission in the UK has already been granted consular access to Pant. Meanwhile, 24 crew members from India and Georgia remain on board the vessel, which is anchored off Weymouth in Dorset and is being monitored for safety and environmental concerns.
Pant’s wife, Ritu, said she learned of his arrest through British media reports on social media and had received no official communication from either UK or Indian authorities. She maintained that her husband had a “spotless" 15-year maritime career and was “just following orders from his corporation to captain the ship, and is not at fault." According to Lloyd’s List, the MV Smyrtos loaded 1,01,400 tonnes of Urals crude at Russia’s Ust-Luga terminal on June 4 and was headed for Sikka port in Gujarat. The tanker had been flying the Cameroonian flag since December, but Cameroon removed it along with 35 other shadow fleet vessels earlier this month, leaving it stateless. The vessel was boarded at night in what became the first such UK-led operation. Royal Marine commandos were deployed via a Chinook helicopter, while Crime Agency officials inspected documentation onboard. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he personally directed the operation, describing it as “another blow to Russia." The Smyrtos has been under European Union and UK sanctions since October 2025.
The BriefWire