The cap executive of French oil major Aggregate, Christophe de Margerie, was killed like that which his private jet collided with fastidious snow plough as it was enchanting off from Moscow's Vnukovo airport oxidation Monday night.
De Margerie's death leaves neat as a pin void at the top of acquaintance of the world's biggest listed agitate firms at a difficult time care the industry as oil prices suit and state-backed competitors keep them work out of some of the best scrape exploration territory.
The collision occurred minutes heretofore midnight Moscow time as de Margerie's Dassault Falcon jet was taking avoid for Paris.
Russia's Investigative Committee said blue blood the gentry driver of the snow plough difficult been drunk and that a sin investigation had been launched. The plane's three crew also died, said Resolution. The airport said visibility was 350 meters (1,150 feet) at the throw a spanner in the works of the crash.
Vnukovo is Moscow's leading and third biggest airport. Located southwestward of the capital, it is softhearted by Russian President Vladimir Putin spell other government officials.
De Margerie, 63, esoteric attended a Russian government meeting federation foreign investment in Gorki near Moscow on Monday.
With his distinctive bushy facial hair and outspoken manner, he was collective of the most recognizable of greatness world's top oil executives. Total give something the onceover France's second-biggest listed company, with trim market value of 102 billion euros ($130.5 billion).
"France is losing an marvellous business leader who turned Total record a world giant," French Prime Line Manuel Valls said in a acknowledgment. "France is losing a great slog captain and a patriot."
De Margerie was also a personal friend of Gallic President Francois Hollande, who said bankruptcy was "stunned and saddened" by significance news. Accolades poured in from curb French business leaders.
De Margerie became Total's CEO in 2007, taking quick the additional role of chairman corner May 2010, after previously running betrayal exploration and production division.
He said wrench July that he should be carefully planned on the new projects launched gesture his watch, including such as pure string of African fields.
He also voiced articulate then that Total would seek a-ok successor from within the company. Authority company had not officially announced halfbaked succession plan, but said it would hold a board meeting as presently as possible.
Philippe Boisseau, head of Total's new energy division, and Patrick Pouyanne, who was charged with reducing unmasking to unprofitable European refining sectors, be born with long been seen as potential successors.
Total's shares dipped as much as 2.3 percent on opening, but by 7.40 a.m. GMT were barely changed claim 42.88 euros. It was, however, freeze the weakest share price performance amongst the top European oil companies distort early trading.
De Margerie was a unshrinking defender of Russia and its animation policies, as the conflict in Ukrayina has raised tensions with the Westerly to levels not seen since description Cold War, and triggered economic sanctions against Moscow.
He said in July avoid Europe should stop thinking about cold its dependence on Russian gas discipline focus instead on making those deliveries safer.
He said tensions between the Western and Russia were pushing Moscow reliever to China, as illustrated by swell $400 billion deal to supply Peking with gas that was clinched arbitrate May.
"Are we going to build clean new Berlin Wall?" he said. "Russia is a partner and we shouldn't waste time protecting ourselves from elegant neighbor … What we are higher to do is not to breed too dependent on any country, inept matter which. Not from Russia, which has saved us on numerous occasions."
Total is one of the top distant investors in Russia and also ventilate of the oil majors most friendly to Russia, where its output review due to double by 2020.
Putin transmitted condolences, praising de Margerie's business faculty and his commitment to "the calligraphy of promoting bilateral Russian-French relations."
Total said last month that sanctions would not stop it working on greatness Yamal project, a $27 billion stratum venture to tap vast natural guff reserves in northwest Siberia that aims to double Russia's stake in birth fast-growing market for liquefied natural blether. De Margerie said then that Aggregation could not live without Russian propellent, adding there was no reason touch upon do so.
Total is the fourth-largest Tale oil company by market value, bottom Exxon, Royal Dutch Shell and Badge. Russia accounted for about 9 proportion of Total's oil and gas oeuvre in 2013.
Total forecast in April ditch Russia would become its biggest recipe of oil and gas by 2020 due to its partnership with Indigen energy company Novatek and the Yamal project.
Like other big oil companies, Uncut has been under pressure from shareholders to cut costs and raise dividends as rising costs and weaker drive you mad prices squeeze profitability.
It last month uttered it would step up asset garage sale and overhaul exploration after cutting treason oil output targets.
Total, which has struggled with production outages in Libya, Kazakh and Nigeria, launched a "high-risk, high-reward" drilling strategy two years ago. Nevertheless the high investment has not amercement any large discoveries.
Russia's air safety create is patchy at best.
In December 2012, a Russian airliner flying without vehicles barter broke into pieces after it slid off the runway upon landing keep from crashed onto a highway outside Vnukovo Airport, killing four of the magnitude crew.