The city where the royal family was executed. There was no execution of the Royal Family! Almost a detective story with the remains

Christophe de Margerie was born on August 6, 1951, in Mareuil-sur-Lay, France (Mareuil-sur-Lay, France), and was brought up in a foster family. His biological father was Pierre-Alain Rodokanachi and his mother was Colette Taittinger. Later, Colette married Pierre-Alain Jaquin de Margerie, who came from a family of diplomats, and he adopted Christophe.

Margerie was the grandson of Pierre Taittinger, the founder of the anti-republican "Patriotic Youth" (Jeunesses Patriotes), which copied the style of Italian fascism. Christophe's half-brother, Victoire de Margerie, currently serves as CEO of Rondol.

Margerie is a graduate high school Commerce in Paris (ESCP Europe, Paris) 1974. Upon graduation, he joined the Total Corporation, where he was recruited into the finance department and the intelligence and production division. He became president of Total's Middle East division, Total Middle East, in 1995 before being promoted to head of exploration and production in May 1999.

In 2000, he took the position of senior vice president, and in January 2002 he became president of exploration and production of the newly formed TotalFinaElf concern. On May 12, 2006, Margerie was appointed a member of the Board of Directors, and on February 14, 2007 he became the CEO of Total. Starting May 21, 2010, Margerie served as chairman of the corporation.

In 2007, the leadership of the Total concern, including personally Christophe de Margerie, came under investigation. A case was initiated to investigate various kinds of abuses, including corruption practices. The case involved issues related to the disruption of the embargo on the purchase of Iranian gas and Iraqi oil. Margerie was in custody for some time, but he was quickly released, although the investigation did not stop there.

Margerie has built strong ties with many countries, in particular with Russia. The company in this territory was interested in the process of capitalization and circumvention of international sanctions during the pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine in 2014. These sanctions were put in place by the United States (USA) because of the Ukrainian crises, but the company "Total" decided not to refuse cooperation with Russia. Margerie, known as Monsieur "Big Mustache", was a charismatic man, a shrewd strategist who recognized that anti-Russian sanctions would not lead to anything good.

He said that the crisis in relations between Europe and Russia is not the first time, and also made it clear that Europe will not be able to do without Russian gas. Russian President Vladimir Putin, paying tribute to Margerie, called him in a telegram sent to the French Prime Minister "a true friend of our country." Putin went on to say that Margerie was "the pioneer of many major joint projects and laid the foundation for many years of fruitful cooperation between France and Russia in the energy sector."

On October 20, 2014, Christophe was on board a Dassault Falcon 50 preparing to take off from Vnukovo to Paris. Two pilots, a flight attendant and Margerie, were killed when the plane collided with a snowplow at the intersection of two lanes where it was forbidden to enter. The incident "led to a sharp decrease in speed and crash" of the aircraft.

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The Investigative Committee put forward four main versions. The death of a French businessman could be caused by pilot error, dispatcher error, weather conditions, or incorrect actions of the snowplow driver. The driver, a certain V.P. Martynenko, according to the preliminary conclusion, went to work in a state of intoxication. Martynenko and the woman air traffic controller who gave the go-ahead for takeoff were arrested by the Moscow Basmanny Court. The press service of Vnukovo Airport announced that A.S. Dyakov, general director of the international airport, as well as his deputy S.N. Solntsev, left their posts. The measures taken also affected the shift director of the airport, the leading engineer-manager and the head of the airfield operation department.

Some deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation regarded the plane crash in Vnukovo and the death of the General Director of "Total" as a strong blow to the image of Russia. For example, Mikhail Yemelyanov, a member of the Just Russia faction, explained that such an absurd death of a representative of the business elite who collaborated with the Russian Federation would not add points to our country's popularity. Moreover, the Russian deputies expressed their fears that the death of Margerie may well have a negative impact on relations with the Total corporation.

Civilian Tatyana V. Volkova, who contributes "their five kopecks" on her blog to break through the information blockade, expressed the version that Margerie was "ordered" by the owners of the American investment corporation Vanguard. The French businessman was indeed connected with this financial tycoon. According to Volkova, Margerie knew too much about the Vanguard concern, which manages $2 trillion in assets, and could "split" in the near future.

Volkova published information according to which the investigating judges collected quite large volumes of incriminating materials against Margerie, which indirectly affected members of the board of the Vanguard company. The situation was taking a critical turn, but Margerie did not agree to keep his mouth shut... As Volkova writes, during this very period "the drunken V.P. Martynenko was most opportunely exposed."

Christophe was married to Bernadette Prudhomme. He had three children: Fabrice, Laetitia and Diana.

Now the world shipbuilding is at the peak of its development. This is clearly seen in the emergence of new types of ships. Every new ship carries the most advanced technologies and meets the necessary conditions where he will have to work. These are the newest icebreaker-type gas carriers capable of making their own way through the ice. It is about them that our today's story.

So, in July 2013, shipping companies Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) and Teekay LNG Partners signed a contract with the legendary shipbuilding company Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) to expand maritime transport services in July 2013 to build nine unique type of gas tankers. Already in 2017, the first ship "Eduard Toll" was launched, and the construction of the second one - "Rudolf Samoylovich" is underway.

The Chinese shipping company Sinotrans, together with Dynagas and China LNG Shipping, also ordered six gas carriers from the South Korean company, the delivery of which is scheduled for the first quarter of 2020.

Large-capacity Arctic gas carriers under construction have been classified by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping and Bureau Veritas as a new type of vessel - Yamalmax.

The icebreaking vessels are specially designed to transport liquefied natural gas from the port of Sabetta, a liquefaction plant in Yamal, specially built to develop the giant onshore South Tambey gas condensate field.

The lead ship in the series of 15 units worth $4.8 billion is the tanker Christophe de Margerie, named after the former head of Total, who tragically died in a plane crash in 2014 at Vnukovo.

The Yamalmaks are considered to be fairly large ships among icebreaking ships. The length of the hull is 299 m, the width is 50 m. During one voyage in reinforced membrane-type cargo tanks, which guarantee safe transportation, the ship is capable of transporting 172,000 cubic meters of liquefied natural gas along the Northern Sea Route.

The uniqueness of the Arctic gas carriers lies in the combination of a tanker and an icebreaker in one hull, which is made of high-strength special E-grade steel. Covered with 7 mm steel plates, the body provides high maneuverability on open water and the ability to break ice up to 2.5 m thick. This means that gas tankers such as Christophe de Margerie can be used for year-round navigation without icebreaker escort. Unlike typical icebreakers, the vessel assumes the most efficient movement astern, moving at a speed of up to 7 knots with an ice thickness of up to 2 m. Safe navigation in arctic conditions is provided by GPS, GLONASS, xenon light and GPS compass navigation and communication systems.

Arctic gas carriers are equipped with anti-icing systems to protect on-board systems. The engine room is covered with a layer of fiberglass 10 cm thick. External equipment installed on the decks ensures reliable operation when low temperatures. The heating system is also used to prevent snow and ice from accumulating on the decks. Covered mooring points prevent icing and protect crew members from the cold.

There is another notable feature of icebreaker gas carriers - a diesel-electric power plant, consisting of four 12-cylinder diesel engines and two 9-cylinder dual-fuel engines of the Wärtsilä 50DF type, running on liquefied gas or marine fuel oil, providing a total power of 64.35 MW. At the moment it is the largest ship powered by LNG. The use of natural gas as a fuel will minimize the impact on ecological system waters of the Arctic Ocean. Emissions of metals, sulfur oxide, particulate matter when using natural gas are almost zero. Compared to diesel fuel, carbon dioxide emissions are 13 percent less and nitrogen dioxide emissions are 70 percent less.

“It's great to be a leader,” de Margerie himself said of his activity, “to travel and meet all these people.” To the journalist's remark that they were far from being the nicest people in the world, de Margerie replied, laughing: “Damn right, but we don't have oil and gas. Where did American companies get oil and gas in the first place? Your reserves and cash? It [was] all here, not in France. That is why French companies will always look for partners.”

“If you want to always work in a pleasant environment, the oil business is not for you”

By the turn of the century, Total had taken over Belgian rival PetroFina and merged with France's Elf Aquitaine (both deals worth $70 billion), becoming the world's fourth-largest private oil company. As Les Echos later wrote, since that time de Margerie's authority had grown quite strong, and soon he was already considered the "natural heir-tsarevich" of the then head of Total, Thierry Desmarais.

In February 2007, Desmarais stepped down as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Total, and de Margerie became CEO of the concern. Since May 2010, Demarais has been only an honorary chairman, and de Margerie has completely taken over the management of Total.

In 2010, de Margerie pushed for a new business strategy for Total to accelerate the company's growth. In the same year, Total got rid of $4 billion worth of non-core assets, including brownfields in Mexico, Cameroon and Norway. “If there is no opportunity to increase production at the fields, working on them may become commercially unjustified for such big company like Total, de Margerie explained. - In this case, it is more profitable to sell them to smaller players who can maintain production at a lower cost. Such deals are beneficial for everyone, including the state, which receives more taxes.”

Since 2012, the company has sold a total of about $16 billion of assets. Instead, under de Margerie, Total chose a strategy to invest in riskier ventures that could potentially bring more returns.

Under de Margerie, Total is actively developing new territories that are not always easy from a political point of view: Iraqi Kurdistan, Tajikistan and, of course, Russia.

Total came to Russia back in 1991, having begun to develop the Kharyaginskoye field under a production sharing agreement (PSA). Since then Russian authorities have repeatedly changed their attitude towards the PSA, revising the terms of operation of these projects. But this did not prevent the French company from continuing to work in Russia.

In 2011, Total becomes a strategic partner of NOVATEK in the large-scale Yamal LNG project for the production of liquefied natural gas. In the spring of 2014, when oil and gas projects in Russia were under threat due to sanctions and diplomatic pressure from the West, Christophe de Margerie says that nothing has changed for Total -. At the end of May, de Margerie, who came to the St. Petersburg Economic Forum among the few Western top managers, said in an interview with RBC that "the imposition of sanctions and embargoes is not an effective solution" and that he believes "in the wisdom and responsibility of people." "Russia is a partner and we shouldn't waste time defending ourselves against our neighbour," he added in a July interview with Reuters.

Business interests have always been for de Margerie above all else: in 2010, in an interview with the FT, he made it clear that he was ready to drill oil almost anywhere. “If you want to work always only in a pleasant environment, in safety and peaceful conditions, the oil business is not for you,” said the head of Total. True, two years later he nevertheless declared that it was impossible to extract oil in the Arctic - the risk of an ecological catastrophe was too great.

The head of Total was no stranger to looking for business opportunities under sanctions when his company's interests were at odds with the West's official agenda. For the sake of this, one had to risk not only the reputation of the company, but also one's own well-being. In May 2013, Total was forced to pay $318 million to settle US government allegations of bribing Iranian officials. Before the case was settled, French prosecutors recommended that de Margerie himself be charged.

Similar claims were brought against Total in connection with the international corruption scandal surrounding the UN oil-for-food program for Iraq. The company was accused of trading Iraqi oil in circumvention of the UN embargo. In 2006, de Margerie was detained for 48 hours in this case, interrogated and charged, which were dropped by a Paris court only last year.

Master of Diplomacy

De Margerie knew how to find mutual language not only with partners in the Middle East. In June 2010, addressing Vladimir Putin, who then ceded the presidency to Dmitry Medvedev, de Margerie said: “Our policy in your country, Mr. Prime Minister, is very clear. We have many partners, but one owner, one boss. One, not two. So as long as you support me, as long as you support Total, we will do good things.”

“A great strategist, accustomed to acting at the limit of technical capabilities and on the verge of legality, he always openly expressed his thoughts,” Forbes wrote about him. In March 2014, at the height of the "Crimean crisis", de Margerie said in an interview with Nouvel Observateur that Crimea for Russia is "like Alsace and Lorraine for France." From the very beginning of the diplomatic conflict, he took on the role of a bridge between French business and Moscow. The head of Total was co-chairman of the Economic Council of the Franco-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIFR), while businessman Gennady Timchenko was the chairman on the Russian side. In April, a conference of business circles "France - Russia" was held in Paris, to which Timchenko could not attend. “Gennady could not come here, he wished to distance himself from this event for reasons that you understand ... At first I thought: I probably shouldn’t go either, but then I decided that if I didn’t come, then it would be completely a bad signal," The New Times quoted the head of Total as saying.

For Timchenko, the death of Christophe de Margerie was a "deep emotional shock," the businessman's press service reported. “This is a loss not only for France, which has lost a great citizen, this is a great loss for Russia. Christoph deeply understood and appreciated Russia, did a great job of bringing our countries closer together,” Timchenko said.

Shareholders also knew how to please De Margerie: in May 2014, they voted to increase the age limit for the executive director of the concern from 65 to 67 and for the chairman of the board of directors from 65 to 70 years. In fact, this meant that de Margerie could lead Total for at least another four years. In August 2014, he turned 63.

English colonel

A skilled diplomat abroad, de Margerie could debate for a long time with the authorities of his own state. He, for example, has been a vocal supporter of shale hydrocarbons and has been critical of the French government's decision in 2011 to ban hydraulic fracturing. Under de Margerie, Total became a major player in unconventional mining. In 2012, Total announced that it would invest $2.3 billion to develop the Utica Shale in Ohio. And in early 2014, the company was the first of the oil majors to enter projects to develop shale gas in the UK. In addition, Total was going to look for shale gas in Argentina and develop shale oil in Western Siberia together with LUKOIL.

De Margerie was willing to give interviews and was usually more outspoken than many of his reticent colleagues in the oil and gas industry. Against the general background, he always looked like a colorful figure.

For his prominent mustache, the media gave de Margerie the nickname Mr. mustache. For the same reason, Les Echos once compared him to "an English colonel" and Le Monde to "a British officer in India who fanatically watches over his eccentric mustache, which serves as the only reminder of the service to Her Majesty." Forbes wrote that de Margerie at the same time was a lover of strong liquor, on business trips he could offer whiskey to his employees (he preferred Lagavulin) and tell a couple of obscene stories.

De Margerie is survived by his wife, Bernadette Prudhomme, two daughters, a son, and several grandchildren.

Total, the world's fourth-largest oil company (€105.37 billion as of Tuesday evening), ranks sixth in Platts' annual rankings, which take into account asset value, revenue, earnings and return on investment.

On Tuesday, at the opening of the stock exchange in Paris, Total quotes fell immediately by 2.2%. The Vnukovo disaster has "created a vacuum at the very top of the French corporation during these difficult months when oil prices are falling," Reuters wrote. But an hour after the opening, the stock price almost completely won back the fall, returning to Monday's values: about €42.9. By 19:00 Moscow time, Total quotes are already growing by 2.7%, reaching a price of €44.1. The French CAC 40 index by the same time rose only by 1.9%.

Politicians and businessmen about Christophe de Margerie:

Russian President Vladimir Putin: Christophe de Margerie "was at the origin of many major joint projects that laid the foundation for many years of fruitful cooperation between Russia and France in the energy sector." "In Christophe de Margerie, we have lost a true friend of our country."

French President Francois Hollande: “Christophe de Margerie dedicated his life to French industry and the development of Total. He made the company a world leader."

Head of LUKOIL Vagit Alekperov: “In the difficult recent months, Christophe remained a model of nobility, invariably upholding the principles of honest partnership with Russia. He was a friend of our company, our country.”

Royal Dutch Shell CEO Ben van Beurden:“Christoph was a colossal figure, one of the recognized leaders in the energy industry and a friend. My condolences go out to his wife and children, and to his thousands of colleagues at Total."

Daniel Yergin, energy expert at IHS consulting company: “He was an outstanding manager, he knew the Middle East very well. He was one of those who could foresee future events. He was full of energy and charm, a true politician who combined frankness with humor and spontaneity, which distinguished his manner of communication.

Edward Dzheredzhyan, former ambassador US in Syria and Israel: “He was an expert in political analysis, understood geopolitics, loved politics. He is a major figure in the global energy sector, which will be felt by his passing.”.

Craig Stapleton, former US Ambassador to France: “It will be very difficult for him to find a replacement. Top-managers of his scale can be counted on the fingers in any country. Total will miss him. France and the whole West will miss him.”

Peter Hutton, analyst at RBC Capital Markets: “De Margerie is one of the most significant and iconic figures in the industry, and we believe his departure will affect Total both psychologically and organizationally. He controlled the development of the company's strategy, the execution of decisions and the formation of corporate culture and did it better than most CEOs.