Tankers

SMYRTOS

The captain of the 'Smyrtos, the 38-year-old Indian national Ajay Pant, has been charged with violating UK sanctions on Russian oil exports by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) on June 14. He was accused of directly or indirectly supplying or delivering prohibited Russian oil or oil products by ship to a third country in violation of Regulation 46Z9B of the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019. Pant was arrested following the interdiction of the tanker and was scheduled to appear before the Southampton Magistrates’ Court on June 16. The charges were authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service after reviewing evidence submitted by the NCA. The tanker remained under investigation as of June 16 in the Weymouth Bay, guardedover by the HMS 'Ledbury' and HMS 'Sutherland'. The ship’s 24 crew members, all Indian and Georgian nationals, remained aboard the vessel. The boarding operatin was the part of a broader effort to disrupt revenue streams supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine. and represented a significant escalation in sanctions enforcement efforts. The operation was conducted in accordance with domestic and international law and was supported by Royal Navy vessels, military helicopters, and an RAF P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. Formerly known as 'Myrtos', the vessel was renamed in early 2025 in the familiar pattern of identity-shuffling that characterised the shadow fleet’s modus operandi. She was placed on UK and EU sanctions lists in October 2025 for transporting Russian-origin crude oil. The registered owner and commercial manager was the Hong Kong-based Zhao Yao Shipping, with ISM management provided by the India-based Vika Line Marine Services. On June 4, the tanker loaded an estimated 101,400 tonnes of Urals crude at Russia’s Ust-Luga terminal and set a westward course. The declared destinatio pointed variously toward Port Said and Sikka. Ther ship had made similar Channel transits before, but not yet as an effectively stateless vessel. Whether the owners or operators were unaware of the Cameroon deregistration, or whether they calculated, as many shadow fleet operators have done before, that sanctions would remain unenforced, remained a matter for investigators.