UK court denies bail to Indian merchant navy captain held in Russian oil tanker case
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "UK court denies bail to Indian merchant navy captain held in Russian oil tanker case")
Cargo ships are pictured off cost of the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in Sharjah Emirate, along the Gulf of Oman on June 19, 2026. Photograph: (AFP)
A UK court denied bail to Indian captain Ajay Pant, accused of breaching Russian oil sanctions aboard the intercepted “shadow fleet” tanker MV Smyrtos, citing him as a flight risk.
A UK court has denied bail to Indian merchant navy captain Ajay Pant, who is accused of breaching British sanctions linked to the transportation of Russian oil, after ruling that he posed a potential flight risk.
Pant, 38, from Uttarakhand, appeared before a London court via video link on Thursday after being charged over his alleged involvement in transporting prohibited Russian oil to a third country.
The court remanded him in custody after raising concerns that he could abscond or receive assistance to leave the UK if released on bail. A possible jury trial has been scheduled to begin on December 15. If convicted, Pant could face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
British prosecutors allege that Pant "directly or indirectly" transported restricted Russian oil and oil products by ship in breach of UK sanctions regulations. They contend that, as the master of the vessel, he was aware that the cargo consisted of around 98,000 tonnes of Russian oil.
Pant was arrested after British forces intercepted the MV Smyrtos, the sanctioned oil tanker he was commanding, in the English Channel on June 14. According to UK authorities, the operation was the first UK-led military interception of a vessel suspected of being part of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet", which is believed to be used to circumvent sanctions on Russian oil exports.
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The MV Smyrtos, sailing under the Cameroon flag, has been identified by UK authorities as a suspected shadow fleet vessel. Court proceedings said the ship is owned by a Hong Kong-based company.
Pant's defence lawyer argued that his client was merely an employee following instructions from the vessel's owners and had no role in deciding the cargo or its destination. The defence also told the court that Pant has no previous criminal convictions.
