Captain of Russian shadow fleet tanker detained by UK has been charged

The captain of a Russian shadow fleet tanker detained by the UK has been charged with contravening sanctions.

Smyrtos skipper Ajay Pant, 38, has also been charged with directly or indirectly supplying or delivering by ship prohibited oil or oil products from Russia to a third country during June 2026, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.

Royal Marine commandos and NCA officers seized the tanker in the Channel early on Sunday, 25 miles south of the Isle of Wight, in the first UK-led operation to capture a sanctioned vessel.

The ship, which sailed under the flag of Cameroon but is described as "stateless" by the UK government, has been formally detained and remains anchored off Weymouth, in Dorset, along with Royal Navy vessels HMS Sutherland and HMS Ledbury that took part in the six-hour operation.

The interception was also supported by helicopters from the Maritime Air Group (Chinooks, Merlin Mk4 and Wildcat) and an RAF P-8 aeroplane, according to the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Pant, an Indian national, is due to appear at Southampton Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, the NCA added.

He has been charged with contravening Reg 46Z9B Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.

According to part nine of the 2019 regulations, someone who commits a trade offence such as the one Pant is accused of could face up to 10 years in prison, a fine or both.

The 24 Smyrtos crew members, from Georgia and India, remain on board the ship.

In footage released by the MoD, personnel were shown boarding the tanker in the dark by fast-roping from a CH-47 Chinook helicopter.

Further video clips showed personnel armed with KS-1 rifles conducting searches of cabins aboard the ship, while NCA officers inspected documentation and paperwork.

Moscow's shadow fleet is reported to be made up of more than 1,000 ageing tankers that illicitly ship oil and other goods out of Russia by flying the flags of other countries, with the aim of evading sanctions imposed by the West since the invasion of Ukraine started.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said in a statement: "This operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fuelling (President Vladimir) Putin's war in Ukraine that they cannot hide."

Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis told MPs on Monday that all military and law enforcement personnel involved in the interdiction of the vessel were "safely accounted for".

He said Royal Marine commandos "fast-roped under the cover of darkness onto the deck of the Smyrtos, a 244 metre-long oil tanker, which at the time of interception was travelling at 10 knots", and that they seized control of the vessel "without resistance".

Mr Jarvis said it was a "highly complex operation executed with remarkable precision" and was conducted "in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the relevant domestic legislation".

He added that the operation "deals another blow to Putin".

"We do not seek escalation, but we will always take the necessary steps to enforce UK sanctions," he said.

"The UK has sanctioned over 550 Russian shadow fleet vessels, this has had a material impact.

"Nearly 200 have been forced to anchor because of the action of the UK and our partners, and yesterday's operation sends a clear signal to Russia that the UK and its allies can and will act against the Russian war machine."

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Also on Monday, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander issued an order which formally prevented the vessel from leaving the UK.

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