The British oil company Shell will pay 15 million euros to village communities in Nigeria for damage caused by oil spills from 2004 to 2007. The group and the Dutch environmental protection organization Milieudefensie agreed on a corresponding regulation, as stated in a joint statement published on Friday. In addition, a system was installed in the oil lines that detects leaks at an early stage.

To classify the importance of 15 million euros for the group: In the second quarter of 2022, the group achieved a record profit of 18 billion dollars (approx. 17 billion euros).

The agreement is the result of a court ruling from last year in The Hague. Shell stressed in the statement that the settlement was “not an admission of liability”. The environmental organization spoke of justice. “Companies can no longer get away with polluting the environment and ignoring human rights. They can be held accountable,” said director Donald Pols. Milieudefenise also quotes one of the plaintiffs, Eric Dooh: “Thanks to this compensation, we can reshape our community.”

Almost 15 years ago, farmers from the Niger Delta filed a lawsuit against Shell with the environmental protection group after leaks had contaminated large areas. In 2021, the court had declared a Shell subsidiary in Nigeria liable. The parent company is not directly liable, but has a “duty of care,” the court ruled. The leaks are largely the result of sabotage.

Shell was then based in The Hague. As of 2022, Shell is a British-only company based in London.