The captain of a Russian shadow fleet vessel carrying oil, captured by commandos in the English Channel, is set to appear in a British court. Ajay Pant, a 38-year-old Indian national and captain of the tanker Smyrtos, will face Southampton Magistrates Court on charges of violating sanctions.
Charges and Operation Details
The National Crime Agency (NCA) confirmed that Pant is charged with directly or indirectly supplying or delivering prohibited oil or oil products from Russia to a third country during June 2026. The Smyrtos was seized by Royal Marine commandos and NCA officers in the Channel early on Sunday, marking the first UK-led operation to capture a sanctioned vessel.
Current Status of the Vessel
The Smyrtos is currently anchored off Weymouth in Dorset, under monitoring. Its 24 crew members, from Georgia and India, remain on board. According to the Ministry of Defence, Russia's shadow fleet carries 75% of the country's sanctioned oil, operating under obscure ownership to circumvent international sanctions. The UK has sanctioned over 500 of the estimated 700 vessels in this fleet.
Government Response
Speaking to Sky News after the capture, Lisa Nandy stated: 'One of the instructions the prime minister gave early on was that he wanted us to be on the front foot, taking that decisive action in order to keep the country safe and deal with the threat posed by Russia. We've been able to successfully do that. I want to pay tribute to all the Navy officers involved in that; it is no small achievement, but it is also a significant blow to the Russians.'
In a related operation on June 1, the UK intercepted another sanctioned oil tanker suspected of being part of the shadow fleet, with international support.
