Ajay Panth, an Indian captain of an oil tanker belonging to Russia’s “shadow fleet,” was arrested by British commandos this past June. Panth, 38, is currently in British custody. If the charges against him are proven, he could face up to 10 years in prison, according to an NDTV report. The case is seen as potentially setting a legal precedent for commercial-ship crew members.
His wife, meanwhile, claims Panth has been made a “scapegoat” in the affair. In an interview with AFP, Ritu Panth, 36, said: “My husband has simply been made a scapegoat. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
On June 14, British commandos rappelled from a helicopter to seize the sanctioned oil tanker Simertos in the English Channel. Ajay Panth was the ship’s captain.
The Simertos is alleged to be part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” — a network of vessels operating under opaque ownership and insurance arrangements that Moscow uses to evade the oil sanctions imposed on Russia following its 2022 attack on Ukraine.
According to MarineTraffic data, the Simertos set sail from Russia’s Ust-Luga port on June 5. Its stated destination, after crossing the Baltic Sea, was Port Said, Egypt. But British commandos boarded the ship while it was crossing the English Channel.
This was the first such operation led by the United Kingdom. Then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the operation as a “blow” to Russia.
Panth’s wife said her husband is the victim of this affair. Denied bail, she said, he is going through a difficult time in custody. Recalling their first phone call after his arrest, and struggling to hold back tears, Ritu Panth said: “He had broken down and was just crying.”
She said: “He didn’t understand what had happened to him … he just said, ‘I’m in prison, please get me out of here.’”
The prosecution, meanwhile, claims Ajay Panth was the ship’s “master,” or captain, and was aware of the roughly 98,000-ton oil shipment. However, at a court hearing, Panth’s lawyer said that as a crew member, he “was only following orders.”
His wife has raised the same argument. “On any ship, the captain’s job is to deliver the cargo safely to its destination,” Ritu Panth said.
Anwar Sadat of the Indian Society of International Law said the case raises “complex” legal questions.
Panth’s trial is due to begin on December 15. As European countries step up action against Russia’s shadow fleet, the case could become an important test.
It is believed to be the first time a European country has prosecuted a ship’s captain, rather than the vessel or its owners, over an alleged sanctions violation.
David Hammond of the rights organization Human Rights at Sea International, writing an analysis for Lloyd’s List Intelligence, said: “The implications of this case extend far beyond the fate of one ship, its cargo or its captain.”
He said: “This case could become an early test of how far Western governments are prepared to go in enforcing criminal sanctions not just against shadow-fleet operators, but against the seafarers working on these vessels.”
India’s Foreign Ministry said consular officials have met with Panth to “check on his welfare.”
Panth was the only crew member on the ship to face charges. Most of the vessel’s other 24 crew members have already been sent back to their home countries. The ship remains anchored off England’s south coast.
Steve Yandell, coordinator of the seafarers’ department at the International Transport Workers’ Federation, said seafarers have grown fearful of being “caught in the middle” of tensions between rival powers. He said: “Seafarers often have no way of knowing whether their ship is carrying sanctioned oil. As a result, they run the risk of potentially becoming entangled in geopolitical conflict.”
With more than 320,000 seafarers, India makes up a large share of the global commercial shipping workforce.
Sanket Joshi, 40, an experienced Indian tanker captain, called the incident deeply troubling. He said this is likely the first time a ship’s captain has been arrested over “commercial considerations” rather than a security-related issue.
A few days before his arrest, Panth had written a letter to his wife. In it, he expressed concern about the fallout from another conflict, in which several Indian sailors were killed at sea near the Strait of Hormuz during the Middle East war.
Ritu Panth said: “He’d said the sea was becoming a very difficult place right now. I just kept praying and telling him, ‘Stay calm, stay careful, and stay in touch with us.’”
Panth’s mother, Deepa, tearfully appealed for her son to be brought home. “I just want to fold my hands and appeal to the government,” she said. “Please bring my son home.”
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report