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For almost three weeks, the crew of the Smyrtos oil tanker have been moored off the coast of Dorset waiting to learn their fate.
Despite being free to leave the ship after it was seized by UK armed forces targeting Russia’s “shadow fleet” last month, its crew has chosen to remain on the vessel rather than being escorted to the UK mainland under immigration controls.
With their captain in custody on land, the 24 other crew members, from India and Georgia, have been receiving daily welfare checks from the Department for Transport, including deliveries of food, water and other essential supplies.
In the early hours of 14 June, Royal Marines Commandos descended from helicopters onto the ship they had been sailing from Russia to Egypt, allegedly loaded with Russian oil in violation of international sanctions.
The ship’s crew offered no resistance, the commanding officer of the operation said. “The dialogue we had with them was professional and safe, and indeed the crew enabled us to conduct the actions we needed to complete to safely take control of that vessel and move it to an anchorage,” Lieutenant Colonel Tom Quinn told a press conference.
While the Smyrtos’ captain, 38-year-old Ajay Pant, was arrested and charged with delivering prohibited oil from Russia, the remaining crew were released after questioning by National Crime Agency investigators and are waiting to find out if they will be permitted to continue their voyage.
They are the latest merchant crew to find themselves in limbo after being caught up in intensifying international efforts against alleged breaches of sanctions on Russian oil, the Seafarers’ Charity said, following the seizure of shadow fleet tankers by the US and multiple European countries.
Royal Marines Commandos led the operation to seize the Smyrtos in the English Channel in the early hours of 14 June (Photo: Ministry of Defence)
Chief executive Deborah Layde added: “If a ship is detained, it’s easy for public attention to focus on the vessel itself rather than the people on board.
“Whatever the circumstances, seafarers deserve to have their welfare, safety and rights protected. No crew should be left in prolonged uncertainty over their wellbeing, pay or ability to return home simply because they are caught up in wider geopolitical events.”
The Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI) told The i Paper it was campaigning against “the continuing practice of criminalising seafarers for incidents and offences that are often beyond their control or knowledge”, which it said was causing both crew members and their families “immense hardship and uncertainty”.
“Seafarers are essential workers who keep global trade moving,” a spokesperson said. “They deserve dignity, due process, and protection — not automatic suspicion and prolonged detention in foreign jurisdictions.”
Several other nations have taken legal action against the captains of shadow fleet vessels, but in every case crews have been released after a period of time – either to be repatriated home or to continue their original voyage.
‘Shadow fleet’ tankers began as a means of evading oil sanctions but some, like the Boracay vessel seized by France in September, have been used in Russian military operations (Photo: Reuters: Stephane Mahe)
In January, the British Government assisted with the repatriation of the crew of a Russian-flagged oil tanker which had been seized by American authorities and moored in Scotland.
After asking to leave the UK on a voluntary basis, they were held by immigration officials at a hotel in Moray before boarding flights.
A shipping industry source, who did not want to be identified, said sailors for oil tankers are often hired through “crewing agents” who may give limited information about the nature of the work on offer. “Often seafarers have no idea they are going to end up on a shadow fleet tanker,” he added.
The Smyrtos is currently under the detention of the Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander, at an anchorage off the coast of Weymouth, but the Government says the provision for crew members and upkeep of the tanker remain the legal responsibility of its owner.
Public shipping databases list the owner as Hong Kong-based firm Zhao Yao Shipping, which also operates another sanctioned oil tanker called the Mezen.
It is currently sailing under a Russian flag from the port of Taman in Russia to Ventspils in Latvia. When the same tanker was sanctioned by the UK in May last year, it was sailing under the name Chandra and the flag of Panama.
At the point of its interception last month, the Smyrtos had been on a voyage from Russia’s Ust-Luga port to Port Said in Egypt, carrying 101,400 tonnes of Urals – Russia’s major crude oil export – according to the Lloyd’s List shipping journal.
The Department for Transport declined to respond to questions on its plans for the Smyrtos’ oil, citing the National Crime Agency’s ongoing criminal investigation.
But following media reports last week that the Government was considering auctioning off the oil to benefit Ukraine, a Kremlin spokesman threatened retaliatory legal action.
JeNiqueTaMere on July 4th, 2026 at 21:44 UTC »
Because "seized" doesn't mean "sunk"?
DefinitelyNotMeee on July 4th, 2026 at 14:56 UTC »
Because most of these "seizures" are just impotent virtue signalling. At worst, they have to pay a small fine, then the ship is released. Happened in France, Sweden, every time.
theipaper on July 4th, 2026 at 14:54 UTC »
For almost three weeks, the crew of the Smyrtos oil tanker have been moored off the coast of Dorset waiting to learn their fate.
Despite being free to leave the ship after it was seized by UK armed forces targeting Russia’s “shadow fleet” last month, its crew has chosen to remain on the vessel rather than being escorted to the UK mainland under immigration controls.
With their captain in custody on land, the 24 other crew members, from India and Georgia, have been receiving daily welfare checks from the Department for Transport, including deliveries of food, water and other essential supplies.
In the early hours of 14 June, Royal Marines Commandos descended from helicopters onto the ship they had been sailing from Russia to Egypt, allegedly loaded with Russian oil in violation of international sanctions.
The ship’s crew offered no resistance, the commanding officer of the operation said. “The dialogue we had with them was professional and safe, and indeed the crew enabled us to conduct the actions we needed to complete to safely take control of that vessel and move it to an anchorage,” Lieutenant Colonel Tom Quinn told a press conference.
While the Smyrtos’ captain, 38-year-old Ajay Pant, was arrested and charged with delivering prohibited oil from Russia, the remaining crew were released after questioning by National Crime Agency investigators and are waiting to find out if they will be permitted to continue their voyage.
They are the latest merchant crew to find themselves in limbo after being caught up in intensifying international efforts against alleged breaches of sanctions on Russian oil, the Seafarers’ Charity said, following the seizure of shadow fleet tankers by the US and multiple European countries.
Chief executive Deborah Layde added: “If a ship is detained, it’s easy for public attention to focus on the vessel itself rather than the people on board.
“Whatever the circumstances, seafarers deserve to have their welfare, safety and rights protected. No crew should be left in prolonged uncertainty over their wellbeing, pay or ability to return home simply because they are caught up in wider geopolitical events.”
The Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI) told The i Paper it was campaigning against “the continuing practice of criminalising seafarers for incidents and offences that are often beyond their control or knowledge”, which it said was causing both crew members and their families “immense hardship and uncertainty”.
“Seafarers are essential workers who keep global trade moving,” a spokesperson said. “They deserve dignity, due process, and protection — not automatic suspicion and prolonged detention in foreign jurisdictions.”
Several other nations have taken legal action against the captains of shadow fleet vessels, but in every case crews have been released after a period of time – either to be repatriated home or to continue their original voyage.