Japanese Insurance Giant Accused of Enabling Venture Global’s “Dredging Disaster” and Systemic Human Rights Violations
CAMERON, LOUISIANA / TOKYO, JAPAN — Organizations in Louisiana and Japan filed a comprehensive human rights grievance against Tokio Marine Group based on documented harms of Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass 1 LNG concerning pollution and economic loss. It alleges the insurer (through its subsidiary, which holds 7.5% of a $900 million insurance policy for the methane terminal) violated its own policies and international human rights laws by providing coverage to Venture Global’s terminal in Louisiana.
The complaint, submitted through Tokio Marine’s Global Stakeholders Hotline, argues Tokio Marine violated multiple provisions of its own Human Rights Policy, which requires due diligence before engaging with clients, direct management engagement with impacted communities, compliance with domestic and international laws and re-assessment of risks throughout business relationships. Insurance coverage was provided despite findings that the facility was out of legal compliance with the Clean Air Act for over 50% of its operating time and is currently subject to multiple federal lawsuits challenging its Clean Air Act permits and state operational licenses.
The grievance details economic harm regarding a catastrophic August 2025 disaster where a dredging project associated with Venture Global’s CP2 construction project spilled tons of sediment into fishing waters, smothering crucial oysterbeds in thick sludge as shrimp season opened. Shrimpers shared on social media their empty, muddy nets and oysterfolk blame the disaster for killing their catch and destroying their income months after the disaster. This is a violation of rights enshrined in Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that specifically protects standard of living against loss of livelihood. A public records request recently revealed that a Tokio Marine subsidiary is also a primary insurance provider for the operator contracted by Venture Global that was in charge of important aspects of the dredging when the spill occurred.
“This disaster was entirely preventable and represents exactly the kind of harm that Tokio Marine’s own human rights policies are supposed to prevent,” said Solomon Williams, Jr. from the Fisherfamily Advisory Council for Tradition & Stewardship (FACTS), an oyster fisherman and one of the complaint’s signatories.
The complaint warns that failure to act could result in additional complaints to the OECD Japanese National Contact Point. There is also precedent for grievances like these to trigger investigations by UN Special Procedures. The grievance includes a detailed timeline showing Tokio Marine was repeatedly warned about these risks in July of 2022 to most recently as September of 2025. Despite these warnings, Tokio Marine continued providing coverage. Its insurance policy for Calcesieu Pass 1 LNG is set to renew March 14, 2026.
The organizations – For A Better Bayou, Fisherfamily Advisory Council for Tradition & Stewardship (FACTS) of the Habitat Recovery Project, Japan Center for a Sustainable Environment and Society (JACSES), and Rainforest Action Network are demanding that Tokio Marine:
- Deny coverage renewal for Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass LNG when the policy expires March 14, 2026
- Rule out any future coverage for Venture Global’s expansion projects (CP2, CP3, Plaquemines LNG Phase II)
- Conduct full human rights due diligence, including in-person meetings between senior leadership and impacted communities
- Provide monetary remedies to affected fishing families and communities
- Launch internal investigation to hold accountable executives who approved non-compliant coverage
A similar complaint letter was also sent to SOMPO, a major Japanese non-life insurance company, insuring Venture Global. Although SOMPO does not have a publicly available mechanism like Tokio Marine’s Global Stakeholder Hotline, SOMPO states that “we have established a mechanism to broadly receive complaints, consultations, and opinions regarding human rights from diverse stakeholders and rights-holders.” Both SOMPO and Tokio Marine have an obligation to work with impacted communities who have a right to remedy as enshrined in Article 8 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
“Tokio Marine and SOMPO should immediately halt the renewal of their insurance support for the Calcasieu Pass LNG, and conduct appropriate human rights due diligence in accordance with their human rights policies regarding the human rights violations that occurred in the Venture Global accident,” said Yuki Tanabe, the of Program Director, JACSES.
Tokio Marine reportedly received $430 million from direct fossil fuel premiums in 2023- 2024. The company’s North America operations have outperformed other regions, suggesting Tokio Marine facilitated and profited from these ongoing human rights harms. Academic research cited in the complaint demonstrates that when insurers adhere to their underwriting policies, it creates market conditions that directly constrain harmful operations more broadly. This means that Tokio Marine’s compliance with its own policies could decrease its risk exposure, remedy the harm caused in this case, and help shift the entire industry away from projects that degrade human rights and the environment.