A large luxury yacht linked to Russian energy boss Igor Sechin was seized by French customs according to a Twitter announcement posted on Thursday by French Minister Delegate Olivier Dussopt.
Sechin is the chief executive of Russian energy giant Rosneft and is considered to be a close confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The yacht, known as the Amore Vero, was seized at a shipyard in the southern French coastal town of La Ciotat, near Marseille, France 24 reported. The seizure was carried out in order to implement sanctions by the European Union against Russia.
The 280 ft yacht is said to be owned by a company that Sechin "is the main shareholder" in, a statement said.
Amore Vero has a swimming pool that turns into a helipad and multiple decks with at least one including a jacuzzi.
Dans le cadre de la mise en œuvre des sanctions de l'Union européenne à l'encontre de la Russie et en soutien à l’Ukraine 🇺🇦 nous avons procédé à la saisie d’un premier yacht.
— Olivier Dussopt (@olivierdussopt) March 3, 2022
➡️ L’Amore Vero est immobilisé en France. pic.twitter.com/ncr4UOP3OD
The vessel was made by Netherlands-based yacht builder Oceanco, who is also the maker of another yacht commissioned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos known as "Y721," which is expected to be named the largest sailing yacht in the world later this year.
