Krasnodar Court Takes Action Against Companies Involved in Black Sea Oil Spill Amid Environmental Damage Lawsuit

A court in the southern Krasnodar region has frozen the bank accounts of two firms associated with last year’s significant oil spill in the Black Sea, as part of an ongoing legal battle regarding environmental damages.

On Friday, the Krasnodar region Arbitration Court granted a request from the state environmental authority, Rosprirodnadzor, to freeze the accounts of Kamatransoil, which owns the Volgoneft 212 tanker, along with its charter company, Kama Shipping. Rosprirodnadzor is demanding 49.5 billion rubles (approximately $614 million) in compensation from these companies related to the oil spill that occurred in December 2024.

In a related development last week, the court mandated Volgatransneft, which owns another tanker involved in the incident, the Volgoneft 239, to pay 35.5 billion rubles (around $439 million). The company has announced its intention to appeal this decision.

The incident took place on December 15 when two old Russian tankers were damaged during a storm, releasing thousands of tons of heavy fuel oil into the waters off the coasts of the annexed Crimea and Krasnodar. In response, thousands of volunteers and emergency personnel undertook efforts to clean up the oil and remove hundreds of thousands of tons of polluted sand.

The Russian Ministry of Transportation later stated that the owners and captains of the vessels had disregarded seasonal navigation restrictions. In March, President Vladimir Putin remarked that the oil spill resulted from «negligence and a failure to follow safety protocols,» which led to «serious repercussions for individuals, the environment, and the economy.»

Furthermore, the resort town of Anapa is pursuing compensation of 647.43 million rubles (about $8 million) from the owners of the tankers, while the Maritime Rescue Service is seeking 485.1 million rubles (approximately $6 million).