By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 22 Jun: Captain Ajay Pant, a 38‑year‑old resident of Ramnagar in Nainital district and captain of the oil tanker MV Smyrtos, has been formally charged in the United Kingdom under Russia (Sanctions) Regulations 2019. The vessel, which had sailed on 4 June from Russia’s Ust‑Luga terminal carrying about 1,01,400 tonnes of Ural crude oil bound for Sikka port in Gujarat, was intercepted on 14 June in the English Channel when British Royal Marine Commandos boarded it in a six‑hour operation supported by naval vessels and aircraft. Pant was taken into custody and produced before Southampton Magistrates’ Court, which remanded him to judicial custody. His plea and trial preparation hearing is scheduled for 16 July at Bournemouth Crown Court, where he faces a maximum sentence of ten years if convicted. The family of Pant has sought the intervention of the Indian and Uttarakhand Governments towards securing the release of Captain Ajay Pant.
The National Crime Agency has alleged that the MV Smyrtos was part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” used to bypass Western restrictions and transport Russian oil. Pant is accused of contravening Regulation 46Z9B of the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 by directly or indirectly supplying prohibited Russian oil to a third country. His defence has argued that he was only following company instructions and had no personal role in the alleged sanctions breach.
In Uttarakhand, the case has stirred widespread concern. Pant’s wife Ritu Pant has made repeated appeals to the Government of India for urgent intervention, legal assistance and his safe return. She said her husband has worked in the maritime sector for nearly 15 years with a clean record and was only carrying out his professional duties. She has expressed anguish that the family first learnt of his arrest through social media and British media reports. In her posts she wrote that she is handling the case alone as Pant’s ageing father is not in a position to actively pursue it. Ritu has also stressed that behind every detained sailor stands a family silently suffering. She said wives wait for their husbands, children for their fathers and parents for their sons, and urged the authorities to ensure a fair, transparent and unbiased review of the case without delay.
The Uttarakhand government has also stepped in. Home Secretary Shailesh Bagoli has confirmed that the matter had been taken up with the Ministry of External Affairs and that the state’s regional commissioner in Delhi is coordinating with central officials. He said the Indian High Commission in London has already been granted consular access to Pant. The local officials too acknowledged the case, with Ramnagar SDM Gopal Singh Chauhan stating that the matter had come to their notice and was essentially one for the embassy.
Meanwhile, the tanker remains anchored off the Weymouth coast with its 24 crew members, including Indians and Georgians, still on board and cooperating with investigators. The family continues to hope that with government intervention Pant will receive justice and return home safely.
