The captain and first officer of a Russian-flagged oil tanker have been taken out of UK territory by the United States Coast Guard, prompting criticism from the Scottish government over a lack of communication and respect for Scottish law.
The vessel, the Marinera, was seized by US authorities on 7 January south of Iceland and later sailed to waters off the Moray coast, east of Inverness. On Tuesday morning, the US Department of Justice informed Scottish officials that the ship’s captain, Avtandil Kalandadze, and his first officer had been transferred to the US Coast Guard cutter Munro and removed from UK jurisdiction.
Scotland’s justice secretary, Angela Constance, said the episode raised serious concerns about how the situation was handled, accusing the US of showing insufficient regard for “Scottish jurisdiction and Scots law.”
Her comments came a day after Scotland’s Court of Session imposed an interim order preventing UK and Scottish authorities from removing the crew from Scottish jurisdiction. The order was granted following a legal challenge brought by the captain’s wife, Natia Dzadzamia.
However, during a second virtual court hearing on Tuesday, judges were told that US officials had emailed Scotland’s prosecution service at 3:04am confirming the captain and first officer had already been taken off the ship. As a result, the court agreed to lift the order.
Solicitor General Ruth Charteris KC told the court that the men were no longer within the territorial reach of Scottish courts. She added that while US authorities had initially sought mutual legal assistance — a process that can lead to extradition — that request was withdrawn on Monday.
Lawyers acting for Dzadzamia questioned whether the men had previously been under Scottish control, but Charteris said neither the Scottish government nor the Crown Office had detained any of the crew at any point.
Following the ruling, Lord Young formally recalled the court’s order.
Constance said the Scottish government had been left “deeply frustrated” by what she described as poor communication throughout the incident. She said ministers had not been told in advance that the ship would be brought into Scottish waters and were forced to rely on updates from UK counterparts.
“This is a matter of significant public interest,” she said. “If Scotland is to play its part in international justice, that must be done with proper recognition and respect for Scottish jurisdiction and Scots law.”
Meanwhile, the remaining 26 crew members — from Russia, India, Georgia and Ukraine — have asked to leave the UK voluntarily. They had been staying under immigration supervision at a hotel in Moray.
On Tuesday, some crew members were seen leaving a hotel in Elgin with their luggage before travelling to Aberdeen. Officials said arrangements are being made for five crew members to fly to the United States, while the rest will return to their home countries.
