|
 De Margerie's death leaves a void at the top of one of the world's
biggest listed oil firms at a difficult time for the industry as oil
prices fall and state-backed competitors keep them out of some of
the best oil exploration territory.
The collision occurred minutes before midnight Moscow time as de
Margerie's Dassault Falcon jet was taking off for Paris.
Russia's Investigative Committee said the driver of the snow plough
had been drunk and that a criminal investigation had been launched.
The plane's three crew also died, said Total. The airport said
visibility was 350 meters (1,150 feet) at the time of the crash.
Vnukovo is Moscow's oldest and third biggest airport. Located
southwest of the capital, it is used by Russian President Vladimir
Putin and other government officials.
De Margerie, 63, had attended a Russian government meeting on
foreign investment in Gorki near Moscow on Monday.
With his distinctive bushy mustache and outspoken manner, he was one
of the most recognizable of the world's top oil executives. Total is
France's second-biggest listed company, with a market value of 102
billion euros.
"France is losing an extraordinary business leader who turned Total
into a world giant," French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said in a
statement. "France is losing a great industry captain and a
patriot."
De Margerie was also a personal friend of French President Francois
Hollande, who said he was "stunned and saddened" by the news.
Accolades poured in from other French business leaders.
POTENTIAL SUCCESSORS
De Margerie became Total's CEO in 2007, taking on the additional
role of chairman in May 2010, after previously running its
exploration and production division.
He said in July that he should be judged on the new projects
launched on his watch, including such as a string of African fields.
He also said then that Total would seek a successor from within the
company. The company had not officially announced any succession
plan, but said it would hold a board meeting as soon as possible.
Philippe Boisseau, head of Total's new energy division, and Patrick
Pouyanne, who was charged with reducing exposure to unprofitable
European refining sectors, have long been seen as potential
successors.
Total's shares dipped as much as 2.3 percent on opening, but by 0740
GMT were barely changed at 42.88 euros. It was, however, still the
weakest share price performance among the top European oil companies
in early trading.
De Margerie was a staunch defender of Russia and its energy
policies, as the conflict in Ukraine has raised tensions with the
West to levels not seen since the Cold War, and triggered economic
sanctions against Moscow.
He told Reuters in July that Europe should stop thinking about
cutting its dependence on Russian gas and focus instead on making
those deliveries safer.
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He said tensions between the West and Russia were pushing Moscow
closer to China, as illustrated by a $400 billion deal to supply
Beijing with gas that was clinched in May.
"Are we going to build a new Berlin Wall?" he said. "Russia is a
partner and we shouldn't waste time protecting ourselves from a
neighbor ... What we are looking to do is not to be too dependent on
any country, no matter which. Not from Russia, which has saved us on
numerous occasions."
Total is one of the top foreign investors in Russia and also one of
the oil majors most exposed to Russia, where its output is due to
double by 2020.
Putin sent condolences, praising de Margerie's business skills and
his commitment to "the cause of promoting bilateral Russian-French
relations".
YAMAL PROJECT
Total said last month that sanctions would not stop it working on
the Yamal project, a $27 billion joint venture to tap vast natural
gas reserves in northwest Siberia that aims to double Russia's stake
in the fast-growing market for liquefied natural gas. De Margerie
said then that Europe could not live without Russian gas, adding
there was no reason to do so.
Total is the fourth largest Western oil company by market value,
behind Exxon, Royal Dutch Shell and Chevron. Russia accounted for
about 9 percent of Total's oil and gas output in 2013.
Total forecast in April that Russia would become its biggest source
of oil and gas by 2020 due to its partnership with Russian energy
company Novatek and the Yamal project.
Like other big oil companies, Total has been under pressure from
shareholders to cut costs and raise dividends as rising costs and
weaker oil prices squeeze profitability.
It last month said it would step up asset sales and overhaul
exploration after cutting its oil output targets.
Total, which has struggled with production outages in Libya,
Kazakhstan and Nigeria, launched a "high-risk, high-reward" drilling
strategy two years ago. But the high investment has not yielded any
large discoveries.
Russia's air safety record is patchy at best.
In December 2012, a Russian airliner flying without passengers broke
into pieces after it slid off the runway upon landing and crashed
onto a highway outside Vnukovo Airport, killing four of the eight
crew.
(Additional reporting by Dmitry Zhdannikov, James Regan, Dominique
Vidalon and Andrew Callus in Paris and Florance Tan in Singapore;
Writing by Howard Goller and Dean Yates; Editing by Gary Crosse,
Toni Reinhold, Robert Birsel and Kevin Liffey)
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