Russia Takes Legal Action Against Tanker Owners After Black Sea Oil Spill Disaster

Screengrab from YouTube video posted by 10 News First
The owners of two aging tankers that broke apart and sank in the Black Sea in December are now facing multiple lawsuits. A massive clean up effort was launched after the incident and the Russian authorities now seek to recover the costs of the oil spill cleanup.

The vessels, Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, built during the Soviet era were not designed to withstand harsh open-sea conditions. Their sinking has been described as one of Russia’s worst environmental disasters in decades.

The Volgoneft-212 tanker broke into two and sank about five nautical miles from the Kerch Strait during a severe storm on December 15, 2024.

Russian meteorological agencies had warned of waves exceeding 25 feet, but the 50-year-old vessel could not withstand the conditions.

It was carrying 4,300 tonnes of mazut, a low-quality residual fuel oil. Shortly after, the Volgoneft-239 also broke up and ran aground near Taman, spilling a similar load of mazut into the sea.

The oil spill spread quickly, contaminating beaches along Russia’s Krasnodar region and Crimea. Environmental experts estimate that 2,400 tonnes of oil products leaked into the Black Sea, leading to a federal state of emergency on December 26.

The disaster killed marine wildlife and seabirds, with 150,000 metric tons of contaminated sand removed from affected beaches.

Video Credits: 10 News First/YouTube

In response to the environmental damage, multiple lawsuits have been filed against the shipowners, Volgatransneft CJSC and Kama Shipping LLC.

The Russian salvage agency Morspasluzhba (Morspas) is suing Volgatransneft to recover the full cost of the cleanup. The case is being heard in Krasnodar’s arbitration court, with hearings set to begin in early April.

Volgatransneft had requested the case be transferred to a Moscow court, but the request was denied. Meanwhile, the city of Anapa has also filed a lawsuit against both Volgatransneft and Kama Shipping, demanding $2.4 million to cover beach cleanup expenses.

City officials have stated that more waste is expected to wash ashore in the coming years, and they plan to increase their claim accordingly.

Russian transportation prosecutors have filed separate lawsuits against both companies, and the Russian Maritime Rescue Service has also launched legal proceedings, with hearings scheduled for April 7 in the Krasnodar arbitration court.

The shipowners have petitioned the court to establish compensation funds of over 533 million rubles ($6.03 million) each. These funds are meant to cover potential claims from Morspasluzhba and other affected parties.

A representative from Volgatransneft CJSC explained that Russian maritime law allows vessel owners to limit liability, setting the total fund at 4.51 million conventional units, an amount that is greatly higher than the initial claims.

This guarantee will remain in effect until December 16, 2030, covering potential lawsuits that may arise within the next six years.

According to Communist Party MP Alexei Kurinny, the vessels were insured for a maximum of $30 million for pollution-related damages, far below the estimated $300 million in environmental losses caused by the spill.

Investigations have revealed that the lost tankers were part of a flotilla supplying fuel to Russia’s sanctioned “dark fleet” near Novorossiysk. Per reports from Russian investigative outlet IStories, these vessels transferred fuel oil to at least three US sanctioned tankers.

Russia’s Ministry of Transport has confirmed that the fuel oil aboard the sunken tankers belonged to Rosneft, the state-owned oil giant that posted a profit of $14 billion in 2023.

Despite months of work, the environmental impact of the December 15 spill is far from over. The Emergency Situations Ministry has warned that warmer weather has triggered new oil slicks, further complicating the cleanup.

References: The Moscow Times, TASS

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