Captain and first mate of seized oil tanker 'taken out of Scottish waters' by US forces, court told

Key Points

Captain and first mate of the US‑seized oil tanker Marinera have been moved onto a US Coast Guard vessel outside UK waters
Interim interdict preventing their removal from Scotland was lifted after the men were no longer in Scottish jurisdiction
Lawyers for Captain Avtandil Kalandadze’s wife alleged he was being unlawfully detained and that the US was bypassing extradition rules
Tanker was seized earlier this month over alleged breaches of US economic sanctions involving Venezuela, Russia and Iran
Remaining 26 crew members were processed in Inverness; five opted to travel to the US voluntarily, while 21 will depart Scotland for other destinations

The captain and first mate of an oil tanker seized by US forces are no longer in Scottish waters, a court has heard.

Judge Lord Young passed an interim interdict on Monday evening, which prevented UK and Scottish authorities from removing Captain Avtandil Kalandadze from Scotland pending further court proceedings.

Lawyers instructed by his wife, Natia, alleged that the Georgian citizen may be being unlawfully detained without charge. She asked them to raise an action in the Court of Session, Scotland’s highest civil court.

Mr Kalandadze was on board the Marinera when it was seized by the US in the North Atlantic earlier this month. The United States has accused the vessel of breaching economic sanctions by carrying oil for Venezuela, Russia and Iran.

The ship, previously known as Bella 1, was boarded south of Iceland and is now in the Moray Firth.

Legal papers lodged in the case state that Mrs Kalandadze is concerned about her husband’s safety.

The Marinera oil tanker was berthed in the Moray Firth. Peter Jolly

Her lawyers argued that the US government was attempting to bypass established extradition processes to take him to America, and that this would breach his human rights.

However, during a hearing held by Lord Young on Tuesday morning, it was revealed that both Mr Kalandadze and his first mate were on board the US Coast Guard vessel, outside UK waters.

The remaining 26 crew members were taken to the Army Reserve base in Inverness for processing and stayed the night at the Premier Inn in Elgin.

Five have elected to voluntarily travel to the US, whilst the other 21 will leave Scotland for other countries.

Lord Young recalled the interim interdict issued last night after the 26 crew members had decided to leave Scotland and the captain and first mate had been taken out of Scottish waters.