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Detained tanker under continuous watch in Dorset
The 'Smyrtos' remained at the Portland anchorage in pos. 50° 33' N 002° 23' W since being detained following a UK operation against Russia’s shadow fleet. The Government continued to monitor the vessel for environmental and safety concerns. There was no timeframe for its departure. The Department for Transport (DfT) was monitoring the tanker continuously and working closely with a range of agencies, including local partners, to ensure the vessel remained safely detained by the Transport Secretary, using discretionary transport sanctions powers. Plans and risk assessments were also being continually updated to take account of factors affecting the vessel during its detention. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s counter-pollution and salvage team remained ready 24 hours a day to respond in the event of a pollution or environmental incident. 22 crew members were currently living and working aboard the vessel. Only one was part of the original crew when the vessel arrived, with the remainder of the original crew, apart from former master Captain Ajay Pant, repatriated by the ship's owner. The current crew members remained aboard around the clock and only disembarked when crew changes were taking place. The shipowner was responsible for their welfare and arranges deliveries of essential supplies through local suppliers, while th officials remained in regular contact with the crew to monitor their welfare and safety. The former master, Captain Pant, has been charged with allegedly breaching Russian sanctions by directly or indirectly supplying or delivering prohibited Russian oil or oil products by ship to a third country. He has been remanded in custody after being refused bail, with a four-week trial listed to begin in December. Report with photo: https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/26643119.detained-oil-tanker-continuous-watch-dorset/?afd_azwaf_tok=eyJraWQiOiIyQzI1RDVDRTVENEFCMTQzM0VBMDdBMTI4QjZBOUQ5MjBERkNGRkIyMEY2RkQ4MjY5MDU2OEU4RTlBRjY0QjFEIiwiYWxnIjoiUlMyNTYifQ.eyJhdWQiOiJ3d3cuZG9yc2V0ZWNoby5jby51ayIsImV4cCI6MTc5MjMzNTA3NSwiaWF0IjoxNzkyMzM1MDY1LCJpc3MiOiJ0aWVyMS01Zjg0Njg2OGY1LTljcTdjIiwic3ViIjoiMjJhOjg4MTo5YzE2OjkwOmVjMTozNmViOjE4ZWY6MzViZiIsImRhdGEiOnsidHlwZSI6Imlzc3VlZCIsInJlZiI6IjIwMjYxMDE4VDE0NTEwNVotMTVmODQ2ODY4ZjU5Y3E3Y2hDMUZSQWEwcm4wMDAwMDAyYWcwMDAwMDAwMDA3ZTRwIiwiYiI6InZqc0hhWUw1VWZnSXNXZlpDLXpnWGRXeER2MjlKVHhCNDkxeGhFOVkzWlUiLCJoIjoiNWdWRUdDekw4TDJuOTkwUTRNbEx4c3AxQXM0TTFjWEZWVGdfXzludVQ3WSJ9fQ.Bk_LEwhF9YIgn-H-OtzVyAFV1TnDK7QknBZRGKsERvBkciJ57zAB5DjYEVuPYOIQy3k4uAJFake6NXj5vmYyw6TA37ty2hig8zosbF7VXXys0uD2WyHxcdtgfY1-YoXjoc04Fm--_qDtn9fxkd7LgGyh8D2T1VUgpipu9XdE7D9QIc9yixA2S1vDYhjHGBWqSfPVCd2OM2d2GHnCvvZnYoVHEN76-JiYrMVzTPyP_CX53fdC4uR8413jQzv1dcNNZpbkJvh31Lvq7rJR9R7Zyh-NKUxujZ1vlsOvQ40qO8QGcF4H-4hdib2xPgVZwYgbHP24DlgsoMakT3yfEnj1Jw.WF3obl2IDtqgvMFRqVdYkD5s
Master of shadow tanker to appear at court in December
Ajay Pant, 38, the Indian Master of the 'Smyrtos', being accused of sanctions busting over trade in Russian crude, has his trial date set for December. The captain of the Russian shadow fleet tanker, seized by the UK, is set to stand, appeared via video link before a London court on July 16. British commandos had boarded the tanker in June. As of July 17, it remained anchored in pos. 50° 34' N 002° 22' W off the coast of Weymouth.
Crew on seized shadow tanker next one in limbo
While the 'Smyrtos' was seized by the UK armed forces almost three weeks ago, its crew was free to leave. The tanker remained anchored off the coast of Dorset under the detention of the Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander. The crew, however, 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. While the 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 were waiting to find out if they will be permitted to continue their voyage. They were 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.
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