Since early this Wednesday morning, the mega-yacht Crescent has been immobilized in the Catalan port of Tarragona on suspicion that it could be part of the fortune of one of the men in Vladimir Putin's inner circle. The first police information on the possible owner of this vessel, about 132 metres long and bearing the Cayman Islands flag, points to a figure very close to the apex of Putin's power: Igor Ivanovich Sechin, former deputy prime minister of the Kremlin.
Sechin currently heads the management of the oil company Rosneft, and both he and his wife are on the EU's list of people and companies whose assets can be seized and immobilized in response to the invasion of Ukraine with the aim of isolating Russia and Putin's circles from the market and the international community. This seizure is the third megayacht whose control has been assumed by the Spanish state for its probable owner's connections with the Russian leadership, the first being the Valerie, immobilized in the Port of Barcelona earlier this week and linked to the oligarch Sergei Chemezov. This latest confiscation takes place 100 kilometres further south along the Mediterranean coast of Catalonia.
Second yacht confiscated in France last week
The CEO of Rosneft, one of the most powerful oil companies owned by the Russian government, has several such ships around the world, and it seems that now, following the investigations begun with regard to the ownership of the Tarragona megayacht, he will be asked to respond for this yacht. Last week, the French government seized another luxury vessel, also owned by Igor Ivanovich Sechin, in an operation led by the French border police.
That operation took place in the Marseille area on March 3rd, leading to the confiscation of the Amore Vero, which was scheduled to return to sea on April 1st. For now, like the Crescent, which was planning to leave Tarragona soon, the journey will have to wait. Some of the Russian magnates moved their yachts to territories outside the European Union to prevent such confiscations.
His nickname is 'Darth Vader': former Russian deputy PM Igor Ivanovich Sechin, having a word in Vladimir Putin's ear
The Crescent will remain in Tarragona under the control of the Spanish merchant navy, which will also be responsible for the crew and for sailing the yacht if necessary. The Civil Guard has stepped up its surveillance around the ship, to ensure its security and prevent it from leaving port, and official and administrative procedures are being completed to take control of the yacht for the time it must remain immobilized due to the European measures aimed at pressuring and punishing Putin's collaborators in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
Igor Ivanovich Sechin and his partner, blacklisted
The EU Council published, in the Official Journal of the European Union, a list of names of people and companies close to dictator Vladimir Putin, in order for member countries to confiscate their assets and funds in order to pressure the Russian president. The list includes Igor Ivanovich Sechin, executive director of the state-owned Rosneft company, third largest company in Russia, and his wife, Marina Sechina.
Igor Ivanovich Sechin is considered one of the most powerful members of the Russian political elite. His ties to Vladimir Putin are long-standing. He worked with the current president in the municipal government of Saint Petersburg in the 1990s and has remained a close ally of the Russian leader. His nickname is said to be Darth Vader. In 1999, Sechin became deputy chief of Vladimir Putin's cabinet; in 2008, deputy prime minister; and in 2012, executive director of Rosneft.
The superyacht Valerie, linked to Russian oligarch Sergei Chemezov, valued at $140 million and 85 metres long, immobilized in Barcelona since earlier this week. / Efe