Why an Indian Ship Captain Could Face 10 Years in UK Jail After ‘Russian Oil Tanker’ Raid

The Indian high commission in London has been closely following the case of Captain Ajay Pant, a Uttarakhand-based merchant navy officer arrested in the UK on charges of violating British sanctions on Russian oil imports.

The High Commission had written to Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami about the developments in a letter, PTI reported.

What is the case?

The case focuses on 38-year-old Captain Ajay Pant, who was the master of the MV Smyrtos, a tanker believed to be a member of Russia's “shadow fleet” to evade Western sanctions against Russian oil.

Also Read: FIFA Suspends Nepal Football Association Over ‘Flagrant Violations’, Throws Governance Into Crisis

The ship, believed to be carrying some 98,000 tonnes of crude oil, was intercepted in the English Channel in a joint operation by the UK National Crime Agency (NCA) and the British Armed Forces, news agency AFP reported on June 14.

The British authorities said the fast-roping took place from a helicopter, and that the Royal Marines boarded the tanker off the southern coast of England in the first such UK-led operation of its kind.

The ship entered UK waters “without a legitimate flag”, prosecutor Varun Chuni said in a report in The Guardian.

The tanker was reported to be under the flag of Cameroon but it was later called “stateless” by the British government. The vessel is still moored off Weymouth in Dorset, AFP said.

British prosecutors have brought charges against Pant for contravention of sanctions offences, claiming he "directly or indirectly" provided or delivered sanctioned Russian oil or oil products to a third country between June of last year and June of this year. According to the news agency Pant, he has been arrested on June 14 and remanded in custody.

Also Read: Core PCE Inflation Rises to 3.4%, Highest Since 2023, Casting Doubt on Fed Rate Cut Timeline

Up to 10 years imprisonment in case of conviction A court hearing is set for next Friday, when prosecutor Chuni is expected to state that those found guilty of the offence could face a "substantial" sentence of up to 10 years in prison, The Guardian reports.

The tanker left the Russian port of Ust-Luga on June 5 and docked in Port Said, Egypt, according to MarineTraffic, a shipping tracker.

The NCA said they were 24 crew members, who are Indian and Georgian citizens, aboard the ship.

According to the UK mission, Captain Pant is being housed at Winchester prison. On June 19, Indian officials got in touch with him using the prison telephone system, and he stated that he was good health, receiving medical attention and had regular contact with his wife.

Pant is set to be at court again on July 16.

Also Read: Bangladesh Calls India’s Explanation Over Adviser’s Detention at Delhi Airport ‘Unsatisfactory’