Spanish authorities have seized a superyacht worth about £458 million from a Russian oligarch, Igor Sechin.
The £458m vessel Crescent is said to belong to the head of Russian oil giant Rosneft, Igor Sechin.
Spain’s Transport Ministry said the 135-metre-long boat was docked in the port of Tarragona, Catalonia, when officials took action.
According to the monitoring site Marine Traffic, the boat arrived in Spain from Italy in November last year and is registered in the Cayman Islands.
On February 28, Mr. Sechin, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was one of many Russian billionaires sanctioned by the European Union including having all his assets in the bloc frozen.
According to the reports, the UK followed suit on 10 March, hitting the oil tycoon with asset freezes and travel bans over his supposed ties to the Kremlin. It was the same day the UK government sanctioned Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich.
It was gathered that Mr. Sechin is considered one of the most influential oligarchs, not only because Rosneft is one of the world’s largest crude oil producers, but because he reportedly works in collaboration with the Russian state and is in regular contact with Putin.
Spain’s decision is the latest in a series of seizures designed to punish those thought to be affiliated with the Russian leader after he launched his deadly invasion of Ukraine last month.
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