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 · Russia · 2024–2025

Volgoneft 212/239 spill (Kerch Strait)

Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
Not on record
  • The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
What the record lacks: 1 none on record · 1 insufficient · 1 not measured · 1 unclear See the gaps

Two Volgoneft tankers were involved in an oil spill in the Kerch Strait on 15 December 2024. In August 2025 a Krasnodar court was reported to have awarded RUB 49.46bn against the owner of the Volgoneft 212.

RUB 49.46bnCourt award reported against the owner of the Volgoneft 212 (August 2025)
As reported secondarily by USM/TASS; the insurer guarantee on record was RUB 533.4m.

Status As of August 2025: a Krasnodar court was reported to have awarded RUB 49.46bn against the owner of the Volgoneft 212; no payment is on record.

What?
An oil spill involving the tankers Volgoneft 212 and 239.
Where?
Kerch Strait.
When?
15 December 2024.
Who?
Gained
None on record
Lost
None on record
Harmed
None on record
Why?
The sources reviewed do not state a cause.
How?
The sources reviewed do not describe how the spill occurred.
5 of 6 questions answered from the record · open: who

What happened

The record, in order.

The Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239 were involved in a spill in the Kerch Strait on 15 December 2024.

In August 2025 a court in Krasnodar was reported to have awarded RUB 49.46bn against the owner of the Volgoneft 212. The sources reviewed give the court figures only through secondary reports (USM/TASS).

The liability limit under the Civil Liability Convention (CLC) was SDR 4.51m per ship. An insurer guarantee of RUB 533.4m was reported. The insurer is not on record.

  1. 202415 December: spill involving the Volgoneft 212 and 239 in the Kerch Strait
  2. 2025August: Krasnodar court reported to award RUB 49.46bn against the owner of the Volgoneft 212

How it looked

What was shown, beside what was recorded.

Shown

    Recorded

    • CLC limit of SDR 4.51m per ship.
    • Insurer guarantee of RUB 533.4m.
      USM/TASS
    • Krasnodar court, August 2025: RUB 49.46bn against the owner of the Volgoneft 212.
      USM/TASS

    In court and with insurers

    Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

    Lawsuits and rulings

    1. 2025-08Claimant wonRUB 49.46bn RUB 49.46bn (value in millions)
      Krasnodar court award against the owner of the Volgoneft 212
      Krasnodar court · Civil · Not stated in the sources reviewed → Owner of the Volgoneft 212

      A Krasnodar court was reported in August 2025 to have awarded RUB 49.46bn against the owner of the Volgoneft 212. The figure is secondary, from USM/TASS. USM/TASS

    Insurers

    1. 2025No policy found
      not on record → Owner of the Volgoneft 212

      An insurer guarantee of RUB 533.4m was reported; the CLC limit was SDR 4.51m per ship. The insurer is not on record. USM/TASS

    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.

    Court award vs insurer guarantee
    RUB 49.46bn vs RUB 533.4m
    Krasnodar court, August 2025; insurer guarantee as reported (secondary)

    What we don't know

    Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.
    Court ruling existsKey earnings undisclosed

    Nature

    • Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.

    Insurers

    • Unclear not on record: no decision on record.

    Record

    • None on record The Russian court figures are secondary, taken from USM/TASS reports, not from the judgment itself.
    • Insufficient The insurer is not on record. One unverified report names it as the Russian National Reinsurance Co; that name has not been confirmed.

    Did the harm stop?

    The sources reviewed do not say.

    Who paid?

    The sources reviewed do not say who paid; an insurer guarantee of RUB 533.4m was reported.

    Sources

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

    Press and investigations

    Terms used on this page

    Bonds and banking

    Guarantee
    A commitment by a third party, often a development bank, to pay if the borrower does not.

    Insurance

    Reinsurance
    Insurance bought by insurers to pass part of their own risk to other companies.
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