London: Captain Ajay Pant, master of an oil tanker apprehended in the English Channel faces up to 10 years in jail in the UK for alleged breach of British sanctions on Russian oil shipments.
The case is being closely monitored by the Indian high commission in London. Captain Pant, from Uttarakhand’s Nainital, is now in judicial custody in the UK.
The high commission informed Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami about the latest developments through a letter, it said in an official release issued on Thursday, as reported by PTI.
Captain Pant (38), was serving as the master of MV Smyrtos, a tanker that British authorities allege was part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” used to circumvent Western sanctions on Russian oil.
The vessel, reportedly carrying around 98,000 tonnes of crude oil, was intercepted in the English Channel during a joint operation by the UK National Crime Agency (NCA) and the British Armed Forces on June 14, as reported by news agency AFP.
British authorities described it as the first UK-led operation of its kind. Royal Marines boarded the tanker off England’s southern coast after fast-roping from a helicopter.
Prosecutor Varun Chuni claimed that the vessel entered UK territorial waters “without a legitimate flag”, a report in The Guardian said.
Originally sailing under the flag of Cameroon, the tanker was later described by the British government as “stateless”. The ship currently remains anchored off Weymouth in Dorset, AFP reported.
Pant has been charged with sanctions contravention offences by British peosecutors, who have alleged that he “directly or indirectly” supplied or delivered prohibited Russian oil or oil products to a third country during June 2026. The merchant Navy officer was arrested on June 14 and later remanded in custody, the news agency added.
Prosecutor Chuni said those convicted of the offence could face a “substantial” prison sentence of up to 10 years, The Guardian reported.
Shipping tracker MarineTraffic noted that the tanker departed the Russian port of Ust-Luga on June 5 and listed Port Said in Egypt as its destination, Hindustan Times reported.
The vessel’s 24 crew members, comprising Indian and Georgian nationals, remain on board the ship.
Captain Pant is currently lodged at HMP Winchester, the high commission has said. Officials established contact with him through the prison telephone system on June 19, during which he said he was in good health, receiving medical facilities and remained in regular contact with his wife.
He is scheduled to appear for his next court hearing on July 16.
