The captain of a Russian shadow fleet vessel carrying 98,000 tonnes of oil, which was intercepted by British troops in the English Channel, has appeared in court charged with breaching sanctions.
Court Appearance
Indian national Ajay Pant has been charged with directly or indirectly supplying or delivering by ship prohibited oil or oil products from Russia to a third country in June 2026, in contravention of Regulation 46Z9B of the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.
The 38-year-old appeared at Southampton Magistrates' Court by videolink from Bournemouth police station on Tuesday for a preliminary hearing during which he spoke to confirm his name and date of birth and gave his address as being in India.
He also gave no indication of his plea and his solicitor James Diamond requested the case be sent to the crown court.
District Judge David Robinson, who appeared on the videolink from Portsmouth, sent the case for a plea and trial preparation hearing at Bournemouth Crown Court on July 16 and remanded Pant in custody until then.
Seizure of the Tanker
Royal Marine commandos and officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) seized the tanker Smyrtos in the Channel early on Sunday in the first UK-led operation to capture a sanctioned vessel. It has since been formally prevented from leaving the UK.
The 24 crew members, from Georgia and India, remain on board the ship, which is anchored off Weymouth in Dorset.
Prosecution Details
Joanne Jakymec, chief Crown prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said: "The CPS has decided to prosecute Ajay Pant for breaching Russian sanctions following a National Crime Agency investigation and the seizure of the shadow oil tanker, MV Smyrtos, travelling through the English Channel over the last weekend."
Mr Diamond said: "Without any indication of potential sentence, given the severity of the matter, I would submit the crown court would be the appropriate venue."
Varun Chuni, prosecuting, said: "The Crown says this is a matter that should be sent to the crown court, there are no sentencing guidelines, the offence carries a maximum punishment of 10 years."
Shadow Fleet Operations
The court heard that the oil tanker was part of Russia's "clandestine fleet of 700 ships" which acted as its "lifeline" by transporting 75% of its oil and helping fund the war against Ukraine.
Mr Chuni added: "On the morning of June 14, Royal Marines and the National Crime Agency boarded the oil tanker MV Smyrtos, that vessel had entered UK territorial waters without a legitimate flag.
"The MV Smyrtos is an oil tanker that is utilised by the Russian shadow fleet, the shadow fleet is a description given to the clandestine fleet of tankers that Russia used to transport its oil around the world.
"They operate under a flag of convenience, the genuine owners of those tankers are very difficult to trace. In order to deceive law enforcement, they turn off tracking transponders and they regularly change flags and broadcast false locations."
He said that the MV Smyrtos was designated under UK sanctions on Russia in 2025 which "were introduced to place pressure on Russia and its economy".
He said: "It's known it was in Russia on June 5 2026 and departed Russian territorial waters. Its movements were monitored, it then entered UK territorial waters, east of Margate, on June 13, flying the flag of Cameroon.
"The master of that vessel has been identified as the defendant. He is an Indian national and he was arrested on the evening of June 14 and is currently in custody. He's suspected to be master of that vessel, essentially in charge of it.
"The amount of oil being carried is substantial, it is thought to be 98,000 tonnes of oil, clearly that is a significant amount. As to its value, it's uncontroversial to say it's of very significant value."
Defence Arguments
Mr Diamond said that his client, who had no previous convictions in any country, was only an employee of the vessel's owner and was "simply following orders".
He said: "The defendant is very clear, it was not his choice where this vessel was going, it was not his choice what this vessel was going to be carrying, he was simply following orders from those within the country."
He added: "The defendant is not a Russian national or has received any money or benefits from Russia, he is simply an employee doing his job and finding himself before a British court."
Custody Decision
Remanding Pant in custody, District Judge Robinson said: "Having considered these matters, I do think because of the nature and seriousness of the offences you are charged with and the likely penalty if you are convicted, there are substantial grounds to fear that you could abscond. You will therefore be remanded in custody until your next hearing in the crown court."
