Dutch court will rule on the Shell-Nigeria pollution case on Wednesday. Analysts believe the case could open the door to more compensation claims against international companies.

According to reports, this is the first time in Dutch history that victims from Shell's host countries have pursued a civil liability claim in the country where Shell has its headquarters, the Netherlands.

In October 2012, four Nigerian villagers took Royal Dutch Shell to court in a landmark pollution case. The fishermen and farmers, together with Friends of the Earth, Netherlands, accused the Anglo-Dutch oil company of polluting land and waterways around their homes in the Niger Delta region.

The three villages that were named in this case as being polluted are Goi, hit by a spill in 2004, Oruma, affected by a spill a year later, and Ikot Ada Udo, hit by various spills in 2007.