P&O Ferries USes PR Firm Favored By Russian Oligarchs, Putin Allies

The ferry firm that sacked 800 people yesterday is using a PR firm that has also advised oligarchs and Kremlin allies to clean up their image, Martin Williams reported for openDemocracy in London.

Photo Insert: P&O Ferries' agency, New Century Media has faced criticism for its work with Russian clients, including billionaire Vladimir Makhlai, who fled to Britain in 2005.

P&O Ferries has partnered with New Century Media for advice on public relations. The PR business, which is run by former Ulster Unionist Member of Parliament (MP) David Burnside, has donated more than £200,000 to the Conservative Party.

It has previously worked for an array of Russian businesses and top oligarchs linked to Vladimir Putin. P&O’s parent firm DP World is also directing journalists’ inquiries to New Century Media.

It will be trying to sanitize P&O’s profile following a brutal staff cull that took place without notice over a video call on Mar. 17, 2022. MPs called the P&O sackings, “callous,” “despicable” and “wholly unacceptable,” while protests are planned at several UK seaports.

P&O Ferries, which was bought by Dubai-based logistics giant DP World, did not immediately comment on its relationship with New Century Media. But it described the sacking of staff as a “tough” decision, claiming it would “not be a viable business” without the changes.

New Century Media has faced criticism for its work with Russian clients, including billionaire Vladimir Makhlai, who fled to Britain in 2005. Records show the firm briefly provided him with “reputation management” and “personal introductions” to individuals in politics, as part of a £900,000-a-year contract.

It also advised Ukrainian-born oligarch Dmytro Firtash, who has brokered gas deals with the Kremlin. Firtash was sanctioned by Ukraine last year over alleged business links to Russian defense firms and is sought by the FBI on corruption charges.

The firm has also previously represented the Kazakh mining giant, Eurasian Resources Group. One of the group’s directors, Patokh Chodiev, was awarded the Order of Friendship of the Russian Federation at a special ceremony in the Kremlin in 2020. The lobbying firm even paid £10,000 a month to a former Kremlin adviser, Alexander Nekrassov, to act as a consultant.

Nekrassov, who died in 2020, was widely seen as a ‘Putin apologist’ and was prolific in spreading disinformation. In 2018, he said there was “no evidence” that Moscow was behind the assassination try on Sergei Skripal with the nerve agent Novichok. He also cast doubt on Russia’s 2006 assassination of Alexander Litvinenko.

Nekrassov’s son –also called Alex – is a senior consultant for New Century Media and has advised British oil giant BP on its “reputation management strategy” over its stake in Rosneft, the Russian state oil company.

WEEKLY FEATURE : MVP Group Keeps Lights On During Pandemic