Kerch Strait storm, November 2007: Volgoneft 139 fuel-oil spill and sulphur-ship sinkings
- Bird casualties in excess of 30,000 were reported on my shores, according to the IOPC Funds. IOPC Funds
- An unknown amount of oil sank to my sea bed, according to the Russian authorities cited by the IOPC Funds. IOPC Funds
- UNEP and the European Commission found the oil relatively low in toxicity and said it would continue to cause harm until the ship was removed from my seabed and the shoreline was cleaned up (November 2008). UN News
- Ukraine suspended fishing in me under Fishery Committee Order 320 of 25 December 2007. UNEP / Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (O. Maslyukivska)
- The only valuation of my living environment in the EC–UNEP economic chapter is a biodiversity-loss line of UAH 13,500. UNEP / Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (O. Maslyukivska)
- Up to 2,000 tonnes of oil entered my waters.IOPC Funds: between 1,200 and 2,000 tonnes; other sources give 1,300 to 3,190 tonnes.
- Some 250 km of my coastline were oiled.IOPC Funds, 2010–2013; its 2008 note gave some 50 km; Cedre gives 30 km.
- 4 people died.Four others were missing (IOPC Funds, 2008).
- International bodies IOPC Funds: Between 1,200 and 2,000 tonnes (2008–2010 documents); up to 2,000 tonnes (2012–2013 documents). IOPC Funds
- International bodies EC–UNEP post-disaster needs assessment: Approximately 1,300 tonnes initially; Ukrainian Ministry of Transport data of 20 November 2007 gave 1,300 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, 2.3 tonnes of lubricants, 25 tonnes of marine diesel and 5.5 tonnes of heating oil. European Commission / UNEP
- Press and investigations Kommersant, 22 November 2007: 3.19 thousand tonnes of fuel oil, in the context of the Ministry of Natural Resources damage estimate. Kommersant
- Press and investigations RAPSI, 2010; Novaya Gazeta, 2025: About 2 thousand tonnes. RAPSI
- Press and investigations RAPSI, 2012–2013; UNIAN, 2008: Over 1.2 thousand tonnes. RAPSI
- International bodies IOPC Funds, 2008 note: Some 50 kilometres, according to media reports. IOPC Funds
- International bodies IOPC Funds, 2010–2013: Some 250 kilometres of shoreline in the Russian Federation and Ukraine. IOPC Funds
- Researchers Cedre: 30 kilometres. Cedre
- International bodies IOPC Funds (reporting Russia and Ukraine): Russia: some 70,000 tonnes of oily debris, sand and sea-grass; Ukraine: some 6,500 tonnes of oily waste, mainly from Tuzla Island. IOPC Funds
- Researchers Cedre: About 13,000 tonnes in Russia and about 1,700 tonnes in Ukraine. Cedre
- Government and regulators Ukrainian Ministry of Environmental Protection, December 2008: Losses over USD 1 billion; the EC–UNEP figure excluded environmental damage, biodiversity loss, and water and land damage. UNIAN
- International bodies EC–UNEP economic chapter, November 2008: Total economic costs UAH 126,732,844–142,983,540 (USD 25,346,569–28,596,708 at USD 1 = UAH 5). UNEP / Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (O. Maslyukivska)
On 11 November 2007 the tanker Volgoneft 139 broke in two in a storm in the Kerch Strait and fuel oil spilled; three sulphur-laden cargo ships sank in the same area. Russian courts awarded RUB 503.2 million in 2012; the IOPC 1992 Fund had paid RUB 337,734,596 by the end of 2018, and the insurer Ingosstrakh had paid one claimant.
Court judgment of June 2012: RUB 503.2 million including interest. The insurer Ingosstrakh had paid one claimant by October 2018.
Status As of the IOPC 2018 annual report: the incident was closed in October 2018; the 1992 Fund had paid RUB 337,734,596 and Ingosstrakh had paid one claimant.
- Krasnodar Krai civil defence department — Awarded RUB 337.9 million of the June 2012 judgment (RAPSI) RAPSI
- Private claimants — Paid in full by the 1992 Fund under the decision of 23 April 2013, with later recovery of an overpayment of some RUB 8.7 million from all except the Kerch Port Authority IOPC Funds
- IOPC 1992 Fund — Paid RUB 337,734,596 as at 31 December 2018 IOPC Funds
- Three government claimants — Bore the insurance gap of RUB 58,527,600 pro rata IOPC Funds
- Claimants with time-barred claims — Claims totalling RUB 1,840.9 million became time-barred IOPC Funds
- Kerch Strait shoreline in Russia and Ukraine — Some 250 kilometres oiled according to the IOPC Funds IOPC Funds
- Birds — Heavy casualties in excess of 30,000 reported IOPC Funds
- Sea bed — An unknown amount of oil sank to it, according to the Russian authorities IOPC Funds
- Crews of ships in the area — Four died and four were missing (IOPC Funds, 2008) IOPC Funds
- Ukrainian fishing in the strait — Suspended by Fishery Committee Order 320 of 25 December 2007 UNEP / Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (O. Maslyukivska)
What happened
On 11 November 2007 the tanker Volgoneft 139 (3,463 GT, built 1978, Russian flag, owned by JSC Volgotanker) was at anchor in the Kerch Strait when it was caught in a severe storm. It broke in two; the stern section was beached by the captain and the fore section sank. The IOPC Funds recorded a cargo of 4,077 tonnes of heavy fuel oil and a spill of between 1,200 and 2,000 tonnes; the EC–UNEP assessment gave the cargo as 3,463 tonnes and the initial spillage as about 1,300 tonnes. Three other cargo ships loaded with sulphur (Volnogorsk, Nakhichevan and Kovel) sank in the same area within two hours. The IOPC Funds noted in 2008 that four crew members of ships in the area died and four others were missing.
The IOPC Funds reported about 250 kilometres of shoreline oiled in Russia and Ukraine (its 2008 note had given some 50 kilometres, from media reports; the French centre Cedre gave 30 kilometres). Heavy bird casualties in excess of 30,000 were reported. Russian authorities said an unknown amount of oil sank to the sea bed. Russia reported that about 70,000 tonnes of oily debris, sand and sea-grass were taken away for disposal; Ukraine reported about 6,500 tonnes of oily waste, mainly from Tuzla Island. About 913 tonnes of heavy fuel oil were removed from the stern section, and 1,200 tonnes of a fuel oil and water mixture were recovered when the fore section was temporarily raised a month after the storm.
Russia was a party to the 1992 Civil Liability Convention and the 1992 Fund Convention; Ukraine was a party to neither at the time. In February 2008 the Arbitration Court of Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Region declared the shipowner's limitation fund constituted by an Ingosstrakh letter of guarantee for RUB 116,636,700, equal to 3 million SDR, and higher courts confirmed this by December 2008. Claims received by the 1992 Fund totalled RUB 8,486,679,741 (£183.8 million) in March 2013; the Fund assessed RUB 338.78 million, and the court judgment was RUB 503.2 million. Claims of RUB 1,840.9 million became time-barred. Rosprirodnadzor's environmental-damage claim of RUB 6,048.1 million, calculated under the Russian 'Metodika', was rejected by the Saint Petersburg court in September 2010.
The shipowner's insurer Ingosstrakh was not a member of the International Group of P&I Clubs and its cover of 3 million SDR was below the 1992 Civil Liability Convention minimum of 4.51 million SDR, leaving an 'insurance gap' of about 1.5 million SDR (RUB 58.5 million), which the three government claimants bore pro rata. The IOPC Funds reported that Ingosstrakh refused to pay the amounts it owed under the 2012 judgment and, as at October 2018, had paid only one claimant that had brought a separate action. The 1992 Fund's total payment was RUB 337,734,596 as at 31 December 2018, and the incident was closed in October 2018.
On the Ukrainian side, the European Commission and UNEP carried out a post-disaster needs assessment in July 2008. Its economic chapter put total economic costs at UAH 126,732,844–142,983,540 (USD 25,346,569–28,596,708), with a biodiversity-loss line of UAH 13,500; the Ukrainian Ministry of Environmental Protection said in December 2008 that losses exceeded USD 1 billion. According to an official interviewed by RIA Novosti in October 2008, criminal proceedings against the captains were terminated for absence of corpus delicti (the legal elements of the offence), apart from the suspended Nakhichevan case; no conviction is on record.
- 2007Storm and breakage of Volgoneft 139 (11 Nov); Ukrainian clean-up on Tuzla Island with more than 500 people by 21 Nov; Rosprirodnadzor and Rosselkhoznadzor damage estimates reported (22 Nov); Ukrainian fishing in the strait suspended by Order 320 (25 Dec)
- 2008Limitation fund declared (Feb); JSC Volgotanker declared bankrupt in Moscow (Mar); Ukrainian State Commission decides to seek recovery from Russian shipowners (Mar); higher courts confirm the fund (May, Sep, Dec); EC–UNEP fieldwork (Jul); fore section raised again and towed to Kavkaz (Aug); criminal proceedings against the captains terminated or suspended (reported 20 Oct); EC–UNEP report (Nov)
- 2010Saint Petersburg court rejects the 'Metodika' claim and finds the spill did not result from a natural phenomenon of an exceptional or inevitable character (Sep)
- 2012Court awards RUB 503.2 million including interest (Jun); confirmed on appeal (Sep)
- 2013Court of Cassation confirms the judgment (Jan); 1992 Fund Executive Committee authorises payments (23 Apr); Presidium of the Supreme Arbitration Court annuls rulings in the contested part (8 Oct)
- 2014Saint Petersburg court holds the insurance gap is to be deducted pro rata from all awards (Nov)
- 2016Court issues enforcement certificates against overpaid private claimants
- 2018Incident closed; Volgoneft 139 Major Claims Fund closed and £3.675 million reimbursed to contributors (Oct)
What was said
“The tanker was at anchor when it was caught in a severe storm and heavy seas.”
“the incident was not unavoidable and that the Master had not taken all possible measures to avoid the breaking of the vessel and the pollution”
“the result of a lack of timely implementation of the increase in the limits of liability which entered into force in 2003”
“will continue to cause harm until the ship is removed from the seabed and the shoreline is cleaned up”
“This is not about compensation from Russia as a state”
“had presented a number of challenges to the Fund and had also highlighted the difficulties that can arise in incidents where the insurer is uncooperative or where the national legislation has not been correctly implemented”
Where accounts differ
Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.
Between 1,200 and 2,000 tonnes (2008–2010 documents); up to 2,000 tonnes (2012–2013 documents).
IOPC FundsApproximately 1,300 tonnes initially; Ukrainian Ministry of Transport data of 20 November 2007 gave 1,300 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, 2.3 tonnes of lubricants, 25 tonnes of marine diesel and 5.5 tonnes of heating oil.
European Commission / UNEP3.19 thousand tonnes of fuel oil, in the context of the Ministry of Natural Resources damage estimate.
Kommersant3,463 tonnes of residual oil (heavy fuel oil type M-100).
European Commission / UNEPSome 250 kilometres of shoreline in the Russian Federation and Ukraine.
IOPC FundsRussia: some 70,000 tonnes of oily debris, sand and sea-grass; Ukraine: some 6,500 tonnes of oily waste, mainly from Tuzla Island.
IOPC FundsThe storm was a natural phenomenon of an exceptional, inevitable and irresistible character.
IOPC FundsThe storm was not exceptional (similar storms four times in the past 20 years) and not inevitable given timely forecasts; no port authority had powers to close the anchorage, so action was the responsibility of the master and the shipowner.
IOPC FundsIn September 2010 it decided the spill did not result from a natural phenomenon of an exceptional or inevitable character and that the shipowner and insurer were liable.
IOPC FundsAbnormal weather, with the classification society's wave limits exceeded, was named as the main cause.
RIA NovostiRosprirodnadzor did not appeal and the judgment is therefore final.
IOPC FundsThree court instances rejected the claim between September 2010 and April 2011.
RAPSIRUB 337,734,596 paid by the 1992 Fund as at 31 December 2018.
IOPC FundsOnly RUB 174.8 million could be collected; the article names neither who collected it nor from whom.
Novaya GazetaLosses over USD 1 billion; the EC–UNEP figure excluded environmental damage, biodiversity loss, and water and land damage.
UNIANTotal economic costs UAH 126,732,844–142,983,540 (USD 25,346,569–28,596,708 at USD 1 = UAH 5).
UNEP / Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (O. Maslyukivska)How it looked
Shown
- Losses to Ukraine of over USD 1 billion, excluding, in the ministry's words, the environmental damage, biodiversity loss and water and land damage that the EC–UNEP figure left outUkrainian Ministry of Environmental Protection, December 2008 · UNIAN
- Damage to water bodies and coastline of about RUB 6.5 billion (RUB 6.04 billion for Volgoneft-139) and RUB 4 billion for animals, birds, fish stocks and gameMinistry of Natural Resources, Rosprirodnadzor and Rosselkhoznadzor, as reported by Kommersant on 22 November 2007 · Kommersant
- Shoreline clean-up in Russia undertaken by the Russian military under the supervision of the Prime MinisterIOPC Funds, citing reports, 2008 · IOPC Funds
Recorded
- Claims received by the 1992 Fund RUB 8,486,679,741 (£183.8 million); assessed by the Fund at RUB 338.78 million; court judgment RUB 503.2 million; paid by the Fund RUB 337,734,596 as at 31 December 2018.
- The Fund's Executive Committee authorised payment in full to private claimants and interim payments to three government claimants with pro rata deductions for the insurance gap (decision of 23 April 2013).
- Ingosstrakh refused to pay the amounts owed under the 2012 judgment and, as at October 2018, had paid only one claimant that had brought a separate action.
- The 1992 Fund overpaid four private claimants about RUB 8.7 million; it recovered the amounts from all except the Kerch Port Authority and then discontinued that recovery.
- In the EC–UNEP economic chapter the only valuation of the living environment as such is a biodiversity-loss line of UAH 13,500.
- Criminal proceedings against the captains were terminated for absence of corpus delicti, according to an official interviewed by RIA Novosti; the Nakhichevan case was suspended; no conviction is on record.
Who gained
Reached nature or the ground
Gained elsewhere
Responses on record
- iopc-funds (2018): The 1992 Fund Director said the case had presented challenges to the Fund and had highlighted the difficulties that can arise where the insurer is uncooperative or national legislation has not been correctly implemented. · IOPC Funds
- ingosstrakh (2010): Pleaded force majeure: a natural phenomenon of an exceptional, inevitable and irresistible character. The court decided otherwise in September 2010 and Ingosstrakh did not appeal. · IOPC Funds
- ingosstrakh (November 2007): Its deputy director, Egor Vishnevsky, cited a liability cap of USD 4.7 million (115 million roubles) under the 1969 convention. · Kommersant
- volgotanker (November 2007): Declined to comment. · Kommersant
- rosprirodnadzor (May 2010): Considered that only its claim for costs incurred was admissible under the conventions; the 'Metodika' claim was based on Russian national law and was expected to be rejected. · IOPC Funds
- government-of-ukraine (December 2008): The Ministry of Environmental Protection rejected the USD 28 million figure attributed to EC and UNEP experts and maintained that losses exceeded USD 1 billion. · UNIAN
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
- 2008–2008Claimant wonRUB 116.64m limitation fund (3 million SDR)Limitation fund for the shipownerArbitration Court of Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Region · Civil · Volgotanker (shipowner) and Ingosstrakh → Claimants against the shipowner
In February 2008 the court declared the shipowner's limitation fund constituted by an Ingosstrakh letter of guarantee for RUB 116,636,700. The Court of Appeal (May 2008), the Court of Cassation (September 2008) and the Supreme Court (December 2008) confirmed it, holding that Russian courts apply limits as published in the Russian Official Gazette. IOPC Funds
- 2008Claimant wonRUB 0.04m fine (RUB 40,000)Administrative fine on the shipownerArbitration Court of Krasnodar · Administrative · Russian administrative authority (not named in the IOPC summary) → Volgotanker (shipowner)
A fine of RUB 40,000 was imposed on the shipowner. In February 2008 the Arbitration Court of Krasnodar rejected the shipowner's appeal; according to the IOPC Funds summary, the court stated that the incident was not unavoidable and that the master had not taken all possible measures to avoid the breaking of the vessel and the pollution. IOPC Funds
- 2008–2010Defendant wonRUB 6.05bn claimedRosprirodnadzor 'Metodika' environmental-damage claimArbitration Court of Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Region · Civil · Rosprirodnadzor → Volgotanker and Ingosstrakh
The claim of about RUB 6.05 billion, calculated under the Russian 'Metodika', was rejected in September 2010 under Article I.6 of the 1992 Civil Liability Convention. Judge Sergei Markin called the claims unproven (RAPSI). The same court decided in September 2010 that the spill did not result from a natural phenomenon of an exceptional or inevitable character and that the shipowner and insurer were liable; Ingosstrakh did not appeal. IOPC Funds
- 2008–2012Claimant wonRUB 503.2m judgment including interestQuantum of compensation claims against the shipowner and insurerArbitration Court of Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Region · Civil · Krasnodar Krai civil defence department, Novorossiysk emergency rescue works administration, Temryuk district administration, OOO Zeya, BashVolgotanker, Kerch sea trade port, Rosprirodnadzor → Volgotanker, Ingosstrakh and the IOPC 1992 Fund
In June 2012 the court awarded RUB 503.2 million including interest; the shipowner and Ingosstrakh were liable up to 3 million SDR and the 1992 Fund for all amounts above that. The Court of Appeal (September 2012) and the Court of Cassation (January 2013) confirmed the judgment. RAPSI itemised the award, with RUB 337.9 million to the Krasnodar Krai civil defence department and about RUB 689,000 to Rosprirodnadzor. IOPC Funds
- 2013Overturned on appealAnnulment of the quantum rulings and remittalPresidium of the Supreme Arbitration Court of Russia · Appeal · Appellant in the quantum proceedings (not identified in the RAPSI report) → Claimants in the quantum proceedings
On 8 October 2013 the Presidium annulled the lower-court rulings in the contested part and returned the case for a new hearing (RAPSI). In November 2014 the Saint Petersburg court held that the insurance gap of 1.51 million SDR should be deducted pro rata from the amount previously awarded to all claimants (as noted by the 1992 Fund Executive Committee on 22 April 2015). RAPSI
- 2007–2008DismissedCriminal proceedings against the captainsRussian investigative authorities (South Transport Investigative Department) · Criminal · Investigators and prosecutors → Captains of Volgoneft-139, Volnogorsk and Nakhichevan; captain of the port of Kavkaz
According to an official interviewed by RIA Novosti on 20 October 2008, cases were merged. Proceedings against the captains of Volgoneft-139, Volnogorsk and Nakhichevan under Article 252 parts 1–2 (marine pollution) were terminated for absence of corpus delicti (the legal elements of the offence). Proceedings against the Kavkaz port captain under Article 293 part 1 were terminated on the same ground; he was on official leave at the time. The captain of the Nakhichevan was listed as missing and the investigation under Article 263 part 3 was suspended. Investigators named abnormal weather as the main cause. RIA Novosti
Insurers
- 2018Partly paidRUB 116.28m payable by Ingosstrakh under the proposed interim split (2013)Ingosstrakh → Volgotanker (shipowner)Stated reason: Ingosstrakh refused to pay the amounts owed under the 2012 judgment.
According to the IOPC Funds, as at October 2018 Ingosstrakh had paid only the amount it owed to one claimant that had brought a separate action against it. Ingosstrakh is not a member of the International Group of P&I Clubs, so STOPIA 2006 did not apply. IOPC Funds
- 2008Partly paidRUB 116.64m limitation fund (3 million SDR; USD 5 million in 2008)Ingosstrakh → Volgotanker (shipowner)Stated reason: Cover of 3 million SDR against a 1992 Civil Liability Convention minimum of 4.51 million SDR after November 2003.
The difference left an insurance gap of about 1.5 million SDR (RUB 58.5 million), which the three government claimants bore pro rata. The IOPC Funds Director said it was the result of a lack of timely implementation of the increase in the limits of liability that entered into force in 2003. IOPC Funds
- 2018PaidRUB 337.73m paid as at 31 December 2018IOPC 1992 Fund → Claimants above the shipowner's limit of liability
The 1992 Fund paid RUB 337,734,596; the incident was closed in October 2018 and the Volgoneft 139 Major Claims Fund was closed with £3.675 million reimbursed to contributors. IOPC Funds
What nature saw
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
What we don't know
Nature
Money
- None on record Biodiversity loss, EC–UNEP economic chapter (Ukraine) — UAH 13,500, the only valuation of the living environment in that chapter.
Accounts
- Disputed Quantity of cargo on Volgoneft 139
- Disputed Cause of the breakage: force majeure or a preventable loss
- Disputed Whether Rosprirodnadzor appealed the September 2010 rejection of its 'Metodika' claim
- Disputed Amount recovered by claimants
- None on record Volgotanker (shipowner): Declined to comment (2007).
Record
- None on record None on record: a conviction in the Kerch Strait criminal proceedings; the case concerning the captain of the Nakhichevan was suspended (RIA Novosti, 2008).
- None on record None on record: an outcome of the Ukrainian state claim against Russia or the shipowners; the Kerch Port Authority claim went through the Saint Petersburg limitation proceedings.
- None on record None on record: an outcome of the suits that Rosprirodnadzor planned in 2007 against the owners of the sulphur ships, as reported by Kommersant.
- None on record None on record: compensation on claims totalling RUB 1,840.9 million that became time-barred.
- Unclear Not measured: the amount of oil that sank to the sea bed was reported as unknown by the Russian authorities.
- Not disclosed Not disclosed: remediation and waste-processing costs in Ukraine; the information was classified, according to the EC–UNEP economic chapter, which says its total is not a full representation of real costs.
- Insufficient Insufficient: the regional-government environmental-restoration claim of RUB 1,819.6 million lacked the information necessary for its assessment, and no supporting documentation was submitted for several claims, including the Ministry of Emergencies claim (IOPC Funds, 2010).
- Unclear Unclear: the source and method of the figure of more than 30,000 bird casualties; the IOPC Funds does not name the counter.
- Unclear Unclear: Ukraine's status under the 1992 Civil Liability Convention; the IOPC 2008 note said Ukraine was a party, and later IOPC documents state that the convention entered into force for Ukraine on 28 November 2008 and did not apply to this incident.
- Disputed Figures differ: the UNIAN report of 19 March 2008 carries a headline of USD 1.5 billion for Ukraine's demand, while its text prints '1 мільярд 427 тисяч 940 доларів США'.
- Disputed Figures differ: the IOPC Funds gives RUB 337.7 million paid by the Fund; Novaya Gazeta (2025) says that only RUB 174.8 million could be collected, without naming who collected it or from whom.
Did the harm stop?
The spill was a single event on 11 November 2007; the IOPC Funds reported that the fore section was raised in August 2008. Oil on the sea bed was reported as an unknown amount.
Who paid?
The IOPC 1992 Fund paid RUB 337,734,596 as at 31 December 2018. The shipowner's insurer Ingosstrakh had paid one claimant by October 2018. The three government claimants bore the insurance gap of RUB 58,527,600 pro rata.
Sources
Press and investigations
- Main versions of Kerch Strait catastrophes made publicCaucasian Knot · 2007-11-17
- Невосполнимо! (Irreplaceable!)Novaya Gazeta · 2025
Researchers
- Kerch Strait incident sheetCedre · undated
International bodies
- IOPC/APR13/3/5 Volgoneft 139, Note by the SecretariatIOPC Funds · 2013-03-27
- IOPC/JUN10/3/4 Volgoneft 139, Note by the DirectorIOPC Funds · 2010-05-28
- 92FUND/EXC.41/8 Volgoneft 139IOPC Funds · 2008-05-30
- Annual Report 2018IOPC Funds · 2019
- Incident map data (Volgoneft 139)IOPC Funds · 2026-10-18
- Decision 003920 (Executive Committee, 23 April 2013)IOPC Funds · 2013-04-23
- Decision 004037 (Executive Committee, 22 April 2015)IOPC Funds · 2015-04-22
- Oil Spill in the Kerch Strait: Ukraine Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (excerpt, PCA exhibit UA-460)European Commission / UNEP · 2008
- Economic assessment of the damage caused by the oil spill in the Kerch StraitUNEP / Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (O. Maslyukivska) · 2008-11
- Clean-up needed on Ukrainian shores one year after major oil spill – UN reportUN News · 2008-11-19
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- Germany agreed €2.6bn and €1.75bn coal exit payments to RWE and LEAG Germany · 2019–2023
- European Commission (Public authority) — here: Post-disaster needs assessment with UNEP; there: approved the RWE payment
- Gulfstream oil spill (Tobago) Trinidad and Tobago · 2024–2026
- International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (IOPC Funds) (International organisation) — here: Compensation administrator; paid RUB 337,734,596; there: Compensation body paying claims for the Gulfstream spill (1992 Fund)
- Half-Earth and 30x30 advocacy funding (Wyss Campaign for Nature) Global · 2016–2026
- UN Environment Programme (International organisation) — here: Post-disaster needs assessment with the European Commission; there: Co-author of the Protected Planet Report 2024
- Hardwood logging in the Russian Far East and exports to China Russia · 2001–2023
- Government of Russia (Government) — here: Government claimants; military clean-up reported; there: Officials' statements 2020 and 2023
- Hebei Spirit oil spill South Korea · 2007
- International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (IOPC Funds) (International organisation) — here: Compensation administrator; paid RUB 337,734,596; there: Administers the 1992 Fund; paid KRW 134.8bn within the KRW 321.6bn limit
- HFC-23 and SF6 Joint Implementation projects at KCKK Polymer and HaloPolymer Perm Russia · 2008–2015
- European Commission (Public authority) — here: Post-disaster needs assessment with UNEP; there: Regulation 550/2011 banning HFC-23 credits from 2013
- Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Nine; Wiwa v Shell Nigeria · 1958–2026
- UN Environment Programme (International organisation) — here: Post-disaster needs assessment with the European Commission; there: Author of the 2011 Ogoniland assessment
- Liberian-flagged vessel Sea Empress spills oil at Milford Haven, Wales, in 1996 United Kingdom · 1996
- International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (IOPC Funds) (International organisation) — here: Compensation administrator; paid RUB 337,734,596; there: published the compensation table
- Lliuya v RWE Peru · 2025
- European Commission (Public authority) — here: Post-disaster needs assessment with UNEP; there: Approved the German compensation payment to RWE (13 December 2023)
- Lukoil-Komi oil spills in the Usinsk area and the Kolva River, 2011–2023, damage claims and payments Russia · 2011–2023
- Rosprirodnadzor (Public authority) — here: Environmental regulator; claimant under 'Metodika'; there: Environmental regulator; claimant in the 615 million case; announced the 2021 payments
- Net Zero Banking Alliance exits and closure International · 2023–2026
- UN Environment Programme (International organisation) — here: Post-disaster needs assessment with the European Commission; there: UN body whose statement on the 2023 insurer exits was reported
- Net-Zero Insurance Alliance collapse and insurers’ fossil underwriting Global · 2021–2025
- UN Environment Programme (International organisation) — here: Post-disaster needs assessment with the European Commission; there: Convener of NZIA
- Nornickel Sulphur Programme: SO2 targets, spending and measured emissions at Norilsk and Kola Russia · 2015–2026
- Government of Russia (Government) — here: Government claimants; military clean-up reported; there: Resolution No. 353 of 12 March 2022; emissions-quota experiment postponed
- Ogoniland and Bodo spills clean-up (SPDC, HYPREP) Nigeria · 1958–2026
- UN Environment Programme (International organisation) — here: Post-disaster needs assessment with the European Commission; there: Author of the 2011 assessment and fund proposal
- Plant-for-the-Planet: 13.6 billion trees Germany / Global · 2011–2024
- UN Environment Programme (International organisation) — here: Post-disaster needs assessment with the European Commission; there: Original owner of the tree campaign
- Prestige Spain · 2002–2026
- International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (IOPC Funds) (International organisation) — here: Compensation administrator; paid RUB 337,734,596; there: 1992 Fund; paid €147.9m
- Princess Empress oil spill (Philippines) Philippines · 2023–2025
- International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (IOPC Funds) (International organisation) — here: Compensation administrator; paid RUB 337,734,596; there: 1992 Fund; paid claims together with the Shipowners' Club
- Russia's 1 January 2022 ban on exports of unprocessed softwood and valuable hardwood logs Russia · 2020–2025
- Government of Russia (Government) — here: Government claimants; military clean-up reported; there: Issued the instruction, duties and quotas
- Russia's forest-fire control zones and federal fire-service funding Russia · 2015–2026
- Government of Russia (Government) — here: Government claimants; military clean-up reported; there: Reserve-fund Order No. 2740-r (2026); Decree No. 382 issued by the President
- Russia's national carbon-unit system under Federal Law 296-FZ Russia · 2021–2026
- Government of Russia (Government) — here: Government claimants; military clean-up reported; there: Adopted Decree No. 234 of 2026
- Russian forest-climate projects: RUSAL fire-protection units and Sakhalin larch planting Russia · 2019–2026
- Government of Russia (Government) — here: Government claimants; military clean-up reported; there: Federal Law 492-FZ and reserve-account rules
- Sakhalin carbon-neutrality experiment under Federal Law 34-FZ Russia · 2022–2028
- Government of Russia (Government) — here: Government claimants; military clean-up reported; there: Set the payment rate; federal law 34-FZ
- Sakhalin-2 and Sakhalin-1 in 2022: transfer decrees, the ecological-audit deduction clause and write-downs Russia · 2022–2026
- Government of Russia (Government) — here: Government claimants; military clean-up reported; there: Decree No. 416 and the orders on the stake sale
- Siberian wildfire season of 2019: Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk and Yakutia Russia · 2019
- Government of Russia (Government) — here: Government claimants; military clean-up reported; there: Prime Minister ordered arson checks (1 August 2019)
- Soviet whaling catches and the reports to the IWC, 1948–1979 Russia · 1948–1994
- Government of Russia (Government) — here: Government claimants; military clean-up reported; there: Supplied original catch data to the IWC Scientific Committee in 1994
- Spain: environmental liability financial guarantee (EU Directive Art. 14) Spain · 2004
- European Commission (Public authority) — here: Post-disaster needs assessment with UNEP; there: Evaluated the directive and reported on mandatory financial security
- Talnakh Concentrator tailings facility: wastewater pumped onto the tundra, 2017–2020 Russia · 2017–2024
- Rosprirodnadzor (Public authority) — here: Environmental regulator; claimant under 'Metodika'; there: Environmental regulator; estimated restoration cost and filed the soil-damage claim
- Tasman Spirit oil spill (Pakistan) Pakistan · 2003–2004
- International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (IOPC Funds) (International organisation) — here: Compensation administrator; paid RUB 337,734,596; there: International compensation regime; Pakistan not a member
- Torrey Canyon spill and creation of the IOPC Funds United Kingdom · 1967–2026
- International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (IOPC Funds) (International organisation) — here: Compensation administrator; paid RUB 337,734,596; there: Administers the 1992 Fund and Supplementary Fund; pays claims above the shipowner's limit
- UN plastics treaty negotiations (INC-5, Geneva, Nairobi, Bangkok) Switzerland · 2024–2026
- UN Environment Programme (International organisation) — here: Post-disaster needs assessment with the European Commission; there: Convenes the negotiations; issued the announcement of the new chair
- UNEP estimate: about 2,000 tons of depleted uranium used in Iraq Iraq · date not stated
- UN Environment Programme (International organisation) — here: Post-disaster needs assessment with the European Commission; there: Estimated the quantity of uranium used (about 2,000 tons)
- Used cooking oil and POME biofuel certification: fraud allegations (ISCC, EU/UK) European Union · 2016–2025
- European Commission (Public authority) — here: Post-disaster needs assessment with UNEP; there: Regulator; anti-dumping duties; recognition of ISCC
- Usinsk pipeline spill (Komi, 1994) and the World Bank and EBRD emergency loans Russia · 1994–2004
- Government of Russia (Government) — here: Government claimants; military clean-up reported; there: Borrower of both loans; on-lent them to Komineft