Photo: Superyacht Times
In early March, the $120 million superyacht Amore Vero was one of the first seized vessels. France's government released a statement saying they got the one belonging to Igor Sechin. However, he denied ownership, and it looks like the government doesn’t know who will foot the bill.
It was on March 2 when the French government seized a superyacht named Amore Vero (True Love), as a result of Russia’s violent invasion of Ukraine. The governments had just started imposing sanctions on Russia, many of them meant for its many oligarchs, who have been losing billions since the outbreak of war.
The measure to seize superyachts pushed some billionaires to take their assets and move them out of reach, while others didn’t have such luck. Among the unlucky ones seems to be one more of Vladimir Putin’s cronies, Igor Sechin. Thought to be Russia’s wealthiest and most powerful man after the State Leader, the Russian oil baron has a non-estimated wealth.
On March 2, the French Minister of Economy, Bruno Le Maire, shared on Twitter a letter that explained that authorities seized the Amore Vero superyacht in the port of La Ciotat in Southern France. The vessel had arrived there on January 3 and was supposed to leave on April 1, after undergoing repairs.
But now it’s been a month since the vessel was seized, and it’s been nothing but a headache. Government seizing gives authorities custody over the vessel, but the owner still has to pay for all the mooring fees.
A statement sent to Reuters by Rosneft, the company Vladimir Putin appointed Sechin as CEO of, denies that the superyacht belongs to one of the unnamed firms owned by the Russian magnate. This left the French government in a state of uncertainty, as it is yet unclear who is responsible for Amore Vero’s upkeep.
"We're continuing to invoice," Alice Boisseau, communications officer for La Ciotat Shipyards told Reuters. Asked who would foot the bill, she said: "We don't know." The bills include mooring, fuel, and upkeep, and, for some vessels, it can reach millions of dollars every month.
Over in Spain, authorities impounded the $600 million megayacht Crescent in the port of Tarragona, in Catalunya, which is also said to belong to the Russian oligarch.
The measure to seize superyachts pushed some billionaires to take their assets and move them out of reach, while others didn’t have such luck. Among the unlucky ones seems to be one more of Vladimir Putin’s cronies, Igor Sechin. Thought to be Russia’s wealthiest and most powerful man after the State Leader, the Russian oil baron has a non-estimated wealth.
On March 2, the French Minister of Economy, Bruno Le Maire, shared on Twitter a letter that explained that authorities seized the Amore Vero superyacht in the port of La Ciotat in Southern France. The vessel had arrived there on January 3 and was supposed to leave on April 1, after undergoing repairs.
But now it’s been a month since the vessel was seized, and it’s been nothing but a headache. Government seizing gives authorities custody over the vessel, but the owner still has to pay for all the mooring fees.
A statement sent to Reuters by Rosneft, the company Vladimir Putin appointed Sechin as CEO of, denies that the superyacht belongs to one of the unnamed firms owned by the Russian magnate. This left the French government in a state of uncertainty, as it is yet unclear who is responsible for Amore Vero’s upkeep.
"We're continuing to invoice," Alice Boisseau, communications officer for La Ciotat Shipyards told Reuters. Asked who would foot the bill, she said: "We don't know." The bills include mooring, fuel, and upkeep, and, for some vessels, it can reach millions of dollars every month.
Over in Spain, authorities impounded the $600 million megayacht Crescent in the port of Tarragona, in Catalunya, which is also said to belong to the Russian oligarch.
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