Russian courts order shipping companies to pay nearly 50 billion rubles ($629.3 million) for December 2024 oil spill in Black Sea
A Russian arbitration court has fully upheld a lawsuit ordering two shipping companies to pay nearly 50 billion rubles (about $622 million) in environmental damages for a December 2024 tanker disaster in the Kerch Strait. The spill devastated Black Sea coastlines and contaminated popular tourist beaches, dealing a major blow to the region’s tourism industry.
Siding with a lawsuit brought by Russia’s Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources, the Krasnodar arbitration court ruled that the owner and charterer of the “Volgoneft-212” must jointly pay 49.46 billion rubles. Rosprirodnadzor also seeks 35 billion rubles (about $446 million) in damages from the owner of “Volgoneft-239,” but the outcome of this case has not yet been announced.
The December 15 incident occurred during a severe storm when two aging tankers — carrying 9,200 tons of heavy fuel oil — broke apart in rough seas. In early January, rescue services claimed that 2,400 tons of petroleum products spilled into the sea. Official investigations later revealed that both vessels were operating beyond their authorized seasonal navigation limits — Volgoneft-239 was banned from winter operations after November 20, and Volgoneft-212 after November 30.
