On 14 January 1995 forestry officials from Uprava, the Croatian forestry inspectorate, discovered oil spilling from a broken pipeline in forests bordering the Novoselci oil fields. According to official Uprava reports, INA workers put the contaminated soil "dripping with oil" into a large hole in the middle of the forest and covered it with sand. Later, the yearly spring floods of the Sava River spread the oil slick.

Such accidents are common for the oil company. During the last year there were at least six spills resulting from broken oil pipes. The largest spill on record was in 1987; it destroyed more than 10 hectares of forest.

Complaints made directly to the Environmental Safety Department (ESD) remained unanswered, so forestry officials turned to the Croatian NGO Green Action. It immediately brought the situation to the attention of the national media and the State Directorate of Environment, which oversees the ESD. The intensive media focus led INA to agree to meet with both Green Action and Uprava officials on 26 January. An INA spokesperson expressed the difficulty of managing the constant replacement of infrastructure due to limitations in "cost-effectiveness of oil production."

Inspectors from the directorate investigated and closed down two pumps and connecting pipes. Company officials agreed at the beginning of March to remove the buried toxic soil, separate the oil and pollutants, and clean the soil. They also pledged to build facilities for better waste management and disposal, while monitoring the site through chemical testing. Green Action has promised to follow their work closely in order to be sure that future spills are carefully handled and legally documented.