Captain of Russian “shadow fleet” tanker faces up to 10 years in prison
9.11.2026 - 16:01
This is the first time that the captain of a sanctioned tanker carrying Russian oil has been detained in Britain.
According to Al Jazeera, Captain Ajay Pant is accused of violating British sanctions against the Russian Federation. The man faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
In particular, after the first court hearing, Ajay was denied bail.
At the time of his detention in the English Channel, the MT Smyrtos tanker was under Western sanctions as part of the Russian shadow fleet and was transporting Russian oil to India via the Suez Canal. The unions also emphasize that at the time of detention, the vessel was in international waters, outside the territorial jurisdiction of the United Kingdom.
“This is the first known case when a European country has held a ship’s captain under arrest on such grounds, and this could set a worrying precedent,” the lawyers noted.
Previously, other countries have detained ships but released the crews (sometimes with a fine). For example, France tried the captain in absentia, while Finland closed the case due to lack of jurisdiction.
The wife of the captain of the MT Smyrtos is currently preparing for another court hearing.
As previously reported by USM, the tanker “Smyrtos” was stopped by the Royal Marines on June 14. 98,000 tons of Urals oil with a market value of about £35 million were found on board.
