Bunker Holding, the fuel group owned by Denmark’s Østergaard family, is pursuing claims worth tens of millions of dollars against former African partners after shutting down its operations on the continent.
According to reporting by DR Nyheder, court documents from Denmark, the United States, England and Senegal show that the company has filed a series of civil damages cases. The lawsuits follow the group’s exit from Africa, where it has said it lost more than one billion kroner.
In a written response to DR, Bunker Holding stated that it has taken the necessary legal steps to pursue any claims against former partners after the closure. The company described this as ordinary procedure when winding down business activities and larger shutdowns. It declined to comment on individual cases.
Arbitration wins in Senegal and Denmark
One of the furthest reaching claims targets Senegalese businessman Khadim Bâ and his company Der Mond Oil. As reported by DR, a London arbitration tribunal ruled in favor of Bunker Holding’s subsidiary PSTV Energy, finding that the Senegalese company had breached contracts for the supply of oil products. Senegalese court documents show the dispute covered six contracts in total.
A court in Dakar later made the British award enforceable across Senegal, allowing seizure of Der Mond Oil’s bank accounts and other assets. Senegalese media report claims in the double digit millions of dollars, per DR. Bunker Holding declined to say how much is at stake or how collection is progressing.
A separate case concerns Red Sea Bunkering of Djibouti, which signed a marine fuel supply agreement with a Bunker Holding subsidiary in 2021. After the parties ended the deal two years later, a dispute arose over the amount owed. In late 2025, a three member arbitration panel seated in Denmark ruled that an installment agreement was legally binding, awarding the Danish side 8.49 million dollars plus interest.
London court keeps Liberia case in Britain
The subsidiary has since sued Red Sea Bunkering in the United States to collect the money, according to American court documents cited by DR. That case is ongoing. Bunker Holding did not answer questions about the prospects of recovering the funds.
Last week, the High Court in London ruled that PSTV Energy’s claim of 23 million dollars against Liberian company Conex Oil & Gas should continue in Britain. Conex had asked for the case to be stayed because of parallel proceedings in Liberia, expected to conclude within months. Judge Louise Hutton found that suing in another country is not in itself a strong reason to depart from the agreed jurisdiction.
The cases identified by DR involve claims of at least 31.49 million dollars plus interest, in addition to the Senegalese claim. Bunker Holding did not say whether further cases exist. DR was unable to obtain comment from Der Mond Oil, Red Sea Bunkering or Conex.
