Warum der beschlagnahmte Putin-Schattentanker immer noch mit voller Besatzung vor Dorset treibt

For almost three weeks, the crew of [the ](https://inews.co.uk/news/how-uk-forces-operation-seize-putin-shadow-tanker-unfolded-4477123?ico=in-line_link)[*Smyrtos* ](https://inews.co.uk/news/how-uk-forces-operation-seize-putin-shadow-tanker-unfolded-4477123?ico=in-line_link)[oil tanker](https://inews.co.uk/news/how-uk-forces-operation-seize-putin-shadow-tanker-unfolded-4477123?ico=in-line_link) 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”](https://inews.co.uk/topic/russian-shadow-fleet?ico=in-line_link) 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.](https://inews.co.uk/news/205-putin-shadow-ships-uk-waters-unchallenged-4442029?ico=in-line_link)

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.