The captain of a Russian shadow fleet vessel, which was intercepted by British troops in the English Channel, has appeared in court charged with breaching sanctions.
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 - allegedly in contravention of Regulation 46Z9B of the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.
The 38-year-old, who appeared at Southampton Magistrates' Court on Tuesday via video link, was on the MV Smyrtos tanker, which the court heard was carrying 98,000 tonnes of oil.
Speaking from Bournemouth police station for a preliminary hearing, Pant spoke to confirm his name and date of birth and gave his address as being in India.
He gave no indication of his plea.
He is set to next appear at Bournemouth Crown Court on 16 July and will be remanded in custody until then.
The prosecution argues that the MV Smyrtos is a tanker used by Russia's shadow fleet to ship oil around the world, deceiving authorities, and that Pant was essentially in charge of the vessel.
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.
The defence said that Pant was "simply following orders", had no previous convictions and no choice over where the vessel went or what it was loaded up with.
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The vessel was seized by Royal Marine commandos and officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) on Sunday.
It was the first UK-led operation to capture a sanctioned vessel, and the MV Smyrtos 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.
Joanne Jakymec, chief Crown prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said the decision to prosecute Ajay Pant followed an investigation by the NCA.
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.
(c) Sky News 2026: Captain of Russian shadow fleet tanker intercepted in Channel appears in court
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