Investigation examines responsibility for spill after Kerch Strait tanker wrecks

In an investigation published on 2 November 2026, The Insider reported that the consequences of the wrecks of the tankers Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 in the Kerch Strait in December 2024 had still not been overcome. According to the publication, oil residues continue to spread at sea, while the compensation awarded will be difficult to recover. At the time of publication, Flank had found no independent confirmation of these two claims. The court rulings, however, have also been covered by another source, in this case Interfax.

What the courts ruled on compensation

On 13 August 2025, the Arbitration Court of Krasnodar Krai ordered Kamatransoil, the owner of Volgoneft-212, and its charterer, Kama Shipping, to pay 49.46 billion roubles jointly and severally. An Interfax correspondent reported this from the hearing. In its ruling, the court upheld all claims brought by the Black Sea–Azov Sea Maritime Directorate of Rosprirodnadzor.

In a separate report, the agency said that 35.48 billion roubles had been awarded against Volgatransneft, the owner of Volgoneft-239. The company appealed against the ruling in August 2025. These reports establish what the court ordered, but not the outcome of the appeal or how much of the money has been paid.

According to The Insider, Rosneft, which the investigation identifies as the main economic beneficiary of the shipments, has remained outside the main claims. The publication considers it unlikely that the compensation will be recovered from the companies ordered to pay. This is the investigation's conclusion, not an established outcome of enforcement of the rulings. Compensation awarded and funds actually secured for restoration are different things.

What we know about the spill and cetacean deaths

The wrecks occurred on 15 December 2024 in the Kerch Strait, Interfax reports. Russia's Ministry of Transport estimates that around 2,400 tonnes of petroleum products spilled into the sea, according to the agency. This is an official estimate relayed through a media outlet, not an independent measurement of the spill.

The estimate in The Insider's investigation of around 120,000 cetacean deaths requires particular attention. In the main text of the Russian-language publication, it refers to the entire period of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, not just the tanker wrecks. This figure therefore cannot be used as a death toll for this spill.

Without an independently verified methodology, the impact of oil pollution cannot be separated from other causes of mortality. The current location and concentration of oil residues, as well as the extent of the clean-up, also remain unclear.

What is known about the risk to Bulgaria

The case matters to Bulgaria because of the shared sea basin, but the claim of continuing pollution does not in itself prove a threat to the Bulgarian coast. There are no established reports of residues from these wrecks reaching Bulgarian waters or of damage caused to tourism and fisheries.

Assessing the local risk requires samples, observations and forecasts of pollutant transport in the western Black Sea. Such findings would provide grounds for specific measures, regardless of disputes over who should pay for the disaster.