Discharge of palm oil into Ukrainian waters: over $2.4 million to be recovered from a foreign company

As reported by UA.news, the Prosecutor’s Office has ensured the final enforcement of a court decision to recover over $2.4 million for the pollution of Ukraine’s marine waters. This concerns an incident that occurred at the “Pivdennyi” port, where, during the unloading of the vessel “STAVANGER,” an uncontrolled discharge of 8.5 tons of a mixture of palm olein and stearin took place.

This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General.

Following the principled position of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office of the Odesa Regional Prosecutor’s Office, nearly 65 million UAH in damages caused by the pollution of Ukraine’s internal marine waters were recovered from the foreign company – the shipowner.

The relevant decision was made by the Commercial Court of the Odesa Region, which upheld the ruling of the South-Western Appeal Commercial Court and the decision of the Supreme Court as part of the Cassation Commercial Court.

This decision marks an important legal achievement in the field of environmental law.

It is worth reminding that the incident occurred on April 30, 2020. At that time, the actions of the company and the ship’s crew grossly violated the requirements of the 1973 International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, which obliges adherence to marine environmental protection standards.

As a result of the sea pollution, the state incurred damage amounting to $2,417,000, which, at the official exchange rate of the National Bank of Ukraine on the day the lawsuit was filed, equaled 64,808,000 UAH.

In 2022, in execution of the court decision, 36.5 million UAH was recovered from the foreign company to the state budget, and on January 17, 2025, the remaining 28.2 million UAH was recovered.

This precedent highlighted the importance of environmental responsibility and demonstrated the Prosecutor’s Office’s focused efforts to protect Ukraine’s natural environment and ensure compensation for the damages caused.

This case is unique for Ukraine, as it was the first time the responsibility of a foreign ship-owning company for ecological damage was proven, and compensation for damages to the state was secured in such amounts.

Tags: Business Ukraine