Who gains from saving nature
Ledger 1 : 33 — For each dollar financing nature-based solutions in 2023, about $33 financed activities harmful to nature. (UNEP)
Cases / Oil spill · Spain · 2002–2026

Prestige

Nature's voice · report
About 63,200 tonnes of oil entered my waters.
Of 76,972 t on board (IOPC)
Did nature suffer? Yes. Harm is on record.
Recorded
  • About 100,000 of my birds died. estimate
    Auks off Galicia alone (95% CI 54,113–162,313); SEO/BirdLife about 250,000, WWF 300,000
What the record lacks: 6 none on record · 5 unclear See the gaps

A tanker sank off Galicia in 2002 and spilled about 63,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil. Spain's Supreme Court assessed the damage at €1.44 billion; the shipowner's insurer and the international fund paid 15.22% of it.

15.22%Share of assessed damage paid by insurer and IOPC Fund
€170.7m of €1,439.08m (Spanish Supreme Court, 2018). See Who gained.
What?
The Bahamas-flagged tanker Prestige got into difficulty off Galicia on 13 November 2002 and sank on 19 November, spilling about 63,200 tonnes of heavy fuel oil. Spain's Supreme Court assessed the damage at €1,439.08m; the shipowner's insurer and the international fund paid 15.22% of it. IOPC Funds
Where?
Off Galicia, north-west Spain; oil reached Spain's north coast, including the Costa da Morte and the Atlantic Islands National Park, and claims were also filed in France and Portugal. Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition (MITECO)
When?
Distress on 13 November 2002 and sinking on 19 November; wreck oil removed in 2004. A trial court acquitted the master in 2013, the Supreme Court convicted him in January 2016 and fixed damages in December 2018; the London Club's UK Supreme Court appeal was heard in June 2026 and awaits judgment. IOPC Funds
Who?
Gained
  • London Club (the shipowner's P&I insurer) — Paid €22.8m against US$1bn of pollution cover; a €855.5m Spanish judgment against it remains unpaid after English courts refused to register it (2023–2024), relying on London arbitration awards and its "pay to be paid" rule. Court of Appeal of England and Wales
  • Repsol YPF — Contractor for removing about 13,000 tonnes of oil from the wreck in 2004; Spain claimed €109.2m for the operation. IOPC Funds
Lost
  • Spanish State — Made 15 claims for €984.8m, assessed by the Fund at €300.2m; it paid about €88m in advance to about 19,500 fisheries workers and took over their claims. IOPC Funds
  • Fishers and shellfish gatherers — 13,600 workers in 58 associations withdrew a €132m Fund claim after settling with the Spanish State. IOPC Funds
  • French State — Claimed €67.5m, assessed at €42.2m; it received cash only through a pro-rata distribution of €51.7m to all claimants. IOPC Funds
  • Portugal — Claimed €4.3m, assessed at €2.2m, and was paid €328,488. IOPC Funds
  • Xunta de Galicia — Costs of €145m found by the 2013 trial court. elDiario.es
  • Oil receivers in IOPC member states — £119m levied to fund the IOPC 1992 Fund's payments of €147.9m. IOPC Funds
  • European Union — More than €275m in aid, as totalled by the London Club; the Supreme Court refused to deduct it. Consejo General del Poder Judicial
Harmed
Why?
In January 2016 Spain's Supreme Court convicted the master of reckless environmental damage and held that the owner was not entitled to limit its liability; a trial court had acquitted him of environmental crime in 2013. Court of Appeal of England and Wales
How?
Under the tanker conventions the insurer paid its limit and the IOPC Fund, financed by oil receivers, paid claims pro rata up to €171.5m combined; the €554.10m for pure environmental and moral damage was not recoverable from the Fund. The Spanish judgment for the rest was enforced against the insurer, which contests it in England. IOPC Funds
In proportion The insurer and the Fund paid €170.7m, 15.22% of the €1,439.08m assessed. IOPC Funds
6 of 6 questions answered from the record

What happened

The record, in order.

On 13 November 2002 the Bahamas-flagged tanker Prestige, carrying 76,972 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, got into difficulty off Galicia; it sank on 19 November. About 63,200 tonnes spilled. The owner was Mare Shipping Inc. of Liberia and the manager Universe Maritime of Greece. Its P&I insurer, the London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual (London Club), held pollution cover of US$1 billion.

Oil reached 786 of 1,064 beaches on Spain's north coast, 505 of them in Galicia, and claims were also filed in France and Portugal. A study estimated that about 100,000 auks were killed off Galicia alone. Clean-up took 1,382,000 workdays. About 13,000 tonnes left in the wreck were extracted in 2004.

Under the tanker conventions the London Club paid its limit of €22.8 million in 2003, and the IOPC 1992 Fund, financed by levies on oil receivers, paid €147.9 million. In December 2018 Spain's Supreme Court set the damage at €1,439.08 million: €884.98 million in pollution damage and €554.10 million in pure environmental and moral damage, the latter not recoverable from the Fund. Payments reached 15.22% of assessed losses.

A Spanish trial court acquitted the master of environmental crime in 2013. In January 2016 the Supreme Court convicted him of reckless environmental damage, held that the owner could not limit its liability and made the London Club liable up to US$1 billion. In March 2019 a Spanish court ordered the Club to pay €855.5 million.

The Club relied on its "pay to be paid" rule and its London arbitration clause. A London arbitrator found for the Club in 2013, and English courts refused to register the Spanish judgment in 2023 and 2024. The UK Supreme Court refused Spain permission to appeal in May 2025; the Club's own appeal was heard in June 2026 and awaits judgment. No payment against the €554.10 million environmental award has been found.

  1. 2002Incident 13 Nov; tanker sinks 19 Nov
  2. 2003London Club deposits €22.8m limitation fund (Corcubión court); Spain sets up advance payments by Royal Decree-Law (Jun); €3m bail for the master
  3. 2004About 13,000 t extracted from the wreck (May–Sep); first IOPC levy on oil receivers; 13 restoration projects on the Costa da Morte
  4. 2005About €88m paid by the Spanish State to about 19,500 fisheries workers
  5. 2006IOPC payment level raised to 30%; wreck extraction costs ruled inadmissible
  6. 2010European Court of Human Rights: €3m bail not excessive (28 Sep)
  7. 2012US Second Circuit dismisses Spain's claim against classification society ABS (Aug)
  8. 2013London arbitrator finds for the Club (Feb, Jul); Spanish trial court acquits master of environmental crime
  9. 2015English Court of Appeal upholds the arbitration awards as judgments
  10. 2016Spanish Supreme Court convicts the master; owner may not limit liability (14 Jan)
  11. 2017A Coruña court awards the Spanish State €1,573m (15 Nov)
  12. 2018Supreme Court fixes damage at €1,439.08m (19 Dec)
  13. 2019Spanish order against the Club for €855.5m (1 Mar); final payment level 15.22%
  14. 2022Court of Justice of the EU rules in Spain's favour (20 Jun)
  15. 2023English High Court refuses to register the Spanish judgment (6 Oct)
  16. 2024Court of Appeal refuses registration (12 Dec)
  17. 2025Bordeaux court finds French actions against ABS time-barred (Feb); UK Supreme Court refuses Spain permission to appeal (2 May)
  18. 2026UK Supreme Court hears the Club's appeal (22–23 Jun); judgment pending

What was said

Claims, in the words of those who made them.

“of the full amount of such liabilities.. shall be a condition precedent to his right of recovery”

“not recoverable from the 1992 Fund”

IOPC Funds, on the €554.10m "pure environmental and moral damages" · October 2019 · IOPC Funds

“fully satisfied by the Spanish Supreme Court”

IOPC Funds, on the French Government's claim · 2022 · IOPC Funds

“did, however, create a binding issue estoppel”

“no jurisdiction to hear a second appeal”

UK Supreme Court, refusing Spain's application · 2 May 2025 · UK Supreme Court

How it looked

What was shown, beside what was recorded.

Shown

  • Final compensation fixed at more than €1,500 million with VAT and interest (Spanish judiciary, December 2018)
  • Owner not entitled to limit liability; insurer liable up to US$1 billion (Spanish Supreme Court, 2016)
  • France's claim "fully satisfied" by the Supreme Court judgment (IOPC Funds, 2022)

Recorded

  • Insurer and Fund paid €170.7m: 15.22% of €1,439.08m assessed
  • €554.10m awarded for pure environmental and moral damage: no payment found
  • €855.5m Spanish judgment against the insurer refused registration in England
  • France's "fully satisfied" claim received cash only through a pro-rata distribution of €51.7m to all claimants
  • The Fund's money came from £119m levied on oil receivers in member states, 2004–2014
  • The Spanish State paid about €88m to about 19,500 fisheries workers and took over their claims
  • No payment by the shipowner was found

Who gained

Money that reached nature, beside money that stayed elsewhere.

Reached nature or the ground

€12m
The only nature-related payment with a figure. No ecological restoration spending was published.
Paid against the €554.10m pure environmental and moral damage award—
Window: 2018–2026
No payment found.
Atlantic Islands National Park clean-up€12m
Window: 2005
Paid "from another source"; withdrawn from the Fund claim.
Restoration projects on the Costa da Morte (13 projects)—
Window: 2004
Cost not stated.

Gained elsewhere

Not totalled
Spanish enforcement order against the London Club, not paid€856m
Window: 2019–2026
Registration refused in England; the Club's UK Supreme Court appeal is pending.
Currency: EUR · Window: Mixed — see each line. Figures cover different periods and are not compared as a ratio. * Estimate built from cited figures.

In court and with insurers

Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

Lawsuits and rulings

  1. 2013Defendant won
    Criminal trial of the Prestige master and others
    Audiencia Provincial de A Coruña · Criminal · Spanish prosecutors → Apostolos Mangouras, master

    The master was acquitted of environmental crime and sentenced to nine months for disobedience. elDiario.es

  2. 2010Defendant won€3m bail
    Mangouras v. Spain (bail)
    European Court of Human Rights, Grand Chamber · International court · Apostolos Mangouras → Kingdom of Spain

    On 28 September 2010 the court held that €3m bail for the master was not excessive.

  3. 2016Claimant won
    Appeal against the 2013 acquittal (STS 14 January 2016)
    Tribunal Supremo (Spanish Supreme Court) · Appeal · Spanish prosecutors and civil parties → Apostolos Mangouras; Mare Shipping; London Club

    The court convicted the master of reckless environmental damage with a two-year sentence, held that the owner was not entitled to limit liability and made the London Club liable up to US$1bn. Court of Appeal of England and Wales

  4. 2017Claimant won€1.57bn awarded
    Damages order for the Spanish State
    Audiencia Provincial de A Coruña · Civil · Kingdom of Spain → Mare Shipping; London Club

    On 15 November 2017 the court awarded the Spanish State €931m property and financial loss, €279m environmental and €363m moral damage, plus €61m to France. LegalToday

  5. 2018Claimant won€1.44bn awarded
    Final damages judgment (STS 19 December 2018)
    Tribunal Supremo (Spanish Supreme Court) · Appeal · Kingdom of Spain, France, Xunta de Galicia and 269 other claimants → Mare Shipping; London Club; IOPC 1992 Fund

    The court fixed damage at €1,439.08m: €884.98m pollution damage and €554.10m pure environmental and moral damage, the latter not recoverable from the Fund. IOPC Funds

  6. 2019Claimant won€855.49m awarded
    Enforcement order against the London Club
    Audiencia Provincial de A Coruña · Civil · Kingdom of Spain and other claimants → London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual Insurance Association

    On 1 March 2019 the Club was ordered to pay up to €855,493,575.65, its US$1bn limit less the €22.78m already paid; it has not paid. English High Court

  7. 2013Claimant won
    London Club v. Spain and France (arbitration)
    London arbitration (arbitrator Schaff) · Arbitration · London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual Insurance Association → Kingdom of Spain; French Republic

    Awards of 13 February 2013 (Spain) and 3 July 2013 (France) held that claims must be arbitrated in London and that the Club was not liable without prior payment by the owner. Court of Appeal of England and Wales

  8. 2013–2015Claimant won
    London Club v. Spain and France (awards entered as judgments)
    English High Court [2013] EWHC 3188; Court of Appeal [2015] EWCA Civ 333 · Appeal · London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual Insurance Association → Kingdom of Spain; French Republic

    The English courts entered the arbitration awards as judgments in 2013 and upheld them in 2015. Court of Appeal of England and Wales

  9. 2020–2022Claimant won
    London Club v. Spain, C-700/20 (preliminary reference)
    Court of Justice of the European Union · International court · Kingdom of Spain → London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual Insurance Association

    On 20 June 2022 the Court of Justice ruled in Spain's favour on the reference from the English courts. Court of Appeal of England and Wales

  10. 2024Defendant won€855.49m claimed
    Registration of the Spanish judgment in England
    English High Court [2023] EWHC 2473/2474 (Comm); Court of Appeal [2024] EWCA Civ 1536 · Civil · Kingdom of Spain → London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual Insurance Association

    The High Court (6 October 2023) and the Court of Appeal (12 December 2024) refused registration on public-policy grounds because the arbitration awards created a binding issue estoppel. Court of Appeal of England and Wales

  11. 2025–2025Dismissed
    Kingdom of Spain v. London Club (UKSC/2025/0031)
    UK Supreme Court · Appeal · Kingdom of Spain → London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual Insurance Association

    On 2 May 2025 the court refused Spain permission to appeal, saying it had "no jurisdiction to hear a second appeal". UK Supreme Court

  12. 2025–Ongoing
    London Club v. Kingdom of Spain (UKSC/2025/0034)
    UK Supreme Court · Appeal · London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual Insurance Association → Kingdom of Spain

    The Club's appeal on state immunity and equitable compensation was given permission in part on 6 May 2025 and heard on 22–23 June 2026; judgment is pending. UK Supreme Court

  13. 2012Dismissed
    Kingdom of Spain v. American Bureau of Shipping
    US Court of Appeals, Second Circuit · Civil · Kingdom of Spain → American Bureau of Shipping (classification society)

    Spain's claim against the classification society was dismissed in August 2012; the dismissal is final. IOPC Funds

  14. 2010–2025Time-barred
    French State and IOPC Fund v. American Bureau of Shipping
    Bordeaux court · Civil · French Republic; IOPC 1992 Fund → American Bureau of Shipping

    France filed in April 2010 and the Fund on 30 October 2012; in February 2025 the court found both actions time-barred, and both have appealed. IOPC Funds

  15. 2016Settled€300.2m reduced-to
    Spanish State claims to the IOPC 1992 Fund
    IOPC 1992 Fund · International court · Kingdom of Spain → IOPC 1992 Fund

    Spain made 15 claims for €984.8m; the Fund assessed €300.2m, paid at the pro-rata payment level. IOPC Funds

  16. 2006Dismissed€109.2m claimed
    Wreck oil removal claim
    IOPC 1992 Fund · International court · Kingdom of Spain → IOPC 1992 Fund

    The Fund accepted only about €9.5m of 2003 sealing and survey costs and ruled 2004 extraction costs inadmissible in February 2006. IOPC Funds

  17. 2016Settled€42.2m reduced-to
    French Government claim to the IOPC 1992 Fund
    IOPC 1992 Fund · International court · French Republic → IOPC 1992 Fund

    France claimed €67.5m and the Fund assessed €42.2m, with VAT in dispute. IOPC Funds

  18. 2006Settled€0.33m paid
    Portuguese Government claim to the IOPC 1992 Fund
    IOPC 1992 Fund · International court · Portuguese Republic → IOPC 1992 Fund

    Portugal claimed €4.3m; the Fund assessed €2.2m and paid €328,488 (15%) in August 2006. IOPC Funds

  19. 2005Settled€132m claimed
    Fishers' associations claim to the IOPC 1992 Fund
    IOPC 1992 Fund · International court · 13,600 fishers and shellfish gatherers in 58 associations → IOPC 1992 Fund

    The claim was withdrawn in September 2005 after the claimants settled with the Spanish State, which took over their rights. IOPC Funds

Insurers

  1. 2003Partly paid€22.8m paid (CLC limit)
    London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual Insurance Association (London Club) → Mare Shipping Inc.
    Stated reason: Limitation under the 1992 Civil Liability Convention

    The Club paid the CLC limit of €22,777,986 into the Corcubión court; payment was acknowledged on 16 June 2003. IOPC Funds

  2. 2019In litigation€855.5m Spanish judgment, not paid
    London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual Insurance Association (London Club) → Mare Shipping Inc.
    Stated reason: "Pay to be paid" Rule 3.1 and London arbitration clause Rule 43.2

    The Club has not paid the €855.5m Spanish judgment; English courts refused registration, and its own UK Supreme Court appeal is pending. Court of Appeal of England and Wales

  3. 2003Paid€3m bail
    London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual Insurance Association (London Club) → Apostolos Mangouras, master

    The Club put up €3m bail for the master. Marinelink

  4. 2025Partly paid€147.9m paid
    IOPC 1992 Fund (funded by oil receivers) → Claimants (compensation fund, not an insurer of the owner)
    Stated reason: Fund limit: €171.5m for the CLC and Fund combined; claims pro-rated

    The Fund paid €147,937,442 by 31 December 2024; with the CLC amount, payments reached 15.22% of assessed losses. The money came from £119m levied on oil receivers. IOPC Funds

  5. 2002No policy found
    Hull insurers (led at Lloyd's) → Mare Shipping Inc.

    The hull was valued at US$7m; no hull payout was found. Business Insurance

What nature saw

Outcomes measured on the ground, and nature's note.

Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.

Assessed damage paid
15.22%
Insurer and IOPC Fund, of €1,439.08m
Environmental and moral damage paid
No payment found
€554.10m awarded, December 2018
Years in court
23+
UK Supreme Court judgment pending

What we don't know

Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.
Court ruling existsCase pending / contestedKey earnings undisclosed

Money

  • None on record Paid against the €554.10m pure environmental and moral damage award — No payment found.
  • None on record Restoration projects on the Costa da Morte (13 projects) — Cost not stated.

Insurers

  • Unclear Hull insurers (led at Lloyd's): no decision on record.

Record

  • None on record Who paid the hull claim, and how much: not found.
  • None on record Value and legal owner of the cargo: not sourced; the charterer Crown Resources is named as cargo owner in the press only.
  • Unclear Total Spanish State spending: no consolidated official figure.
  • Unclear Ecological restoration spending: no figures published; the 2004 Costa da Morte projects have no stated cost.
  • None on record Long-term effects on seabird populations: only acute mortality was found.
  • Unclear Whether the master's two-year sentence was suspended: reports differ.
  • None on record The beneficial owner of Mare Shipping: not confirmed from any registry or court file.
  • Unclear Pending: UK Supreme Court judgment on the Club's appeal; Bordeaux appeal in the actions against ABS.

Did the harm stop?

The tanker sank on 19 November 2002; most of the oil left in the wreck was extracted in 2004. The legal dispute over who pays was still open in 2026.

Who paid?

Spain, France and Portugal, the European Union, fishers and shellfish gatherers, and oil receivers in IOPC member states through Fund levies. About 85% of assessed losses were not paid by the insurer or the Fund.

Sources

Voices on record: — Company or project✓ Government and regulators✓ Courts✓ Press and investigations— Communities and civil society✓ Researchers

Government and regulators

  7. Royal Decree-Law 4/2003 (in Spanish)
    Boletín Oficial del Estado · 2003-06-21
  8. Prestige: coastal actions (in Spanish)
    Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition (MITECO) · —
  9. Prestige: wreck neutralisation (in Galician)
    Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition (MITECO) · —
  10. EU Solidarity Fund: Spain
    European Commission · 2017

Courts

  2. Prestige: press summary
    Judiciary of England and Wales · 2024-12
  4. UKSC/2025/0031
    UK Supreme Court · 2025-05-02
  5. UKSC/2025/0034
    UK Supreme Court · 2026

Press and investigations

  3. Oil tanker loss taints coastline
    Business Insurance · 2002-11-24

Researchers

  1. Munilla et al., seabird mortality from the Prestige spill
    Ecosphere (University of Santiago de Compostela repository) · 2011
  2. Penela-Arenaz et al., effects of the Prestige spill on the biota
    Advances in Marine Biology (University of Vigo portal) · 2009

Connected cases

Related matters, and cases linked to this one through the same organisations, with the role each played in both.
Terms used on this page

Insurance

Hull insurance
Insurance on a ship itself, covering damage to or loss of the vessel.
IOPC Funds
The International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds: intergovernmental funds, financed by companies that receive oil by sea, that pay for tanker oil-spill damage above the shipowner's liability limit.
P&I club
A protection and indemnity club: a mutual association of shipowners that covers members' liabilities to third parties, including oil pollution.
Underwriter
An insurer, or a person at an insurer, who assesses a risk and decides whether and on what terms to insure it.

Law and courts

Arbitration
A private dispute process in which an appointed arbitrator, instead of a court, decides the case.
European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)
The Council of Europe's court in Strasbourg, which rules on complaints that a state has violated the European Convention on Human Rights.
Statute of limitations, time-barred
The legal time limit for bringing or completing a case. A time-barred case can no longer lead to a penalty, even if guilt was found.

Places and local terms

Xunta de Galicia
The regional government of Galicia, Spain.

Carbon and conservation finance

Standard-setter and registry
An organisation that writes the rules for carbon credits, approves projects, and records when credits are issued and retired. Such bodies typically charge fees per credit.

Bonds and banking

Liquidation, insolvency, bankruptcy
Legal processes that apply when a company cannot pay its debts; its assets are sold and claims against it may go unpaid.
Similar cases
Oil spill · Tanker / shipping · Insurance declined or withdrawn · Russia · 2024–2025
Volgoneft 212/239 spill (Kerch Strait)
Same type: Oil spillSame regionCourt: won by claimant