Captain Ajay Pant, a 38-year-old Indian national, appeared via video link at Southampton Magistrates Court on charges of sanctions offences linked to a Cameroon-flagged tanker seized by British forces. The vessel, intercepted in the English Channel and anchored off Weymouth, carried 98,000 tonnes of oil and forms part of a reported 700-strong shadow fleet, with 24 crew members remaining onboard. No plea was entered and Pant was remanded in custody pending a 16 July appearance at Bournemouth Crown Court.