A Dutch court has ordered Shell Nigeria to compensate farmers for major oil spills that they say caused widespread pollution.
On Friday, an appeals court in The Hague rejected Shell’s argument that the spills were the result of sabotage, saying not enough evidence had been provided.
The court ordered Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary to compensate farmers for losses caused by oil spills in the two villages of Goi and Oruma in 2004 and 2005. The amount of compensation had not yet been decided.
It also ruled that the parent company, Royal Dutch Shell, and its subsidiary should install warning equipment in its Oruma pipelines to limit environmental damage in the event of another spill.
The court said Shell Nigeria had not done enough to clean the ground around the spill sites.
Farmers claiming compensation argued that the damage was caused by the oil leak from the pipeline, which could have been prevented if Shell had installed the correct detection systems.
“Finally, there is some justice for the Nigerian people who are suffering the consequences of Shell’s oil,” said Eric Dooh, one of the Nigerian plaintiffs, in a statement released by Friends of the Earth Netherlands, which supported the case. “This verdict brings hope for the future of the people of the Niger Delta.”
Dooh’s father was one of two whistleblowers who died during the case, which has lasted 13 years.
The Hague Court of Appeal ruled in 2015 that Dutch courts had jurisdiction in the case, seven years after the four farmers first sued, and after the debate over whether Shell’s parent company should have to be responsible for the actions of the Nigerian subsidiary.
“This is great news for the environment and people living in developing countries,” said Donald Pols, head of the Friends of the Netherlands.
“It means that people in developing countries can take on the multinationals that hurt them.”
Shell Nigeria said in a statement that it still believed the spills were caused by sabotage and was disappointed by the ruling. “Sabotage, crude theft and illegal refining are a major challenge in the Niger Delta,” he said.
“Like all Shell companies worldwide, we are committed to operating safely and protecting the local environment.”
The court also ruled that Shell had shown that the sabotage was the cause of a third spill in an oil well in the village of Ikot Ada Udo, but had not decided whether Shell was responsible for the damage.