In brief
Argentina’s government has lodged a formal dispute with the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, demanding the UK halt the Sea Lion oil and gas project near the Falklands. The claim argues the licences were authorised illegally, while Argentine President Javier Milei has called for sanctions against the companies involved. The UK Foreign Office defends the venture as lawful, noting licences were granted by the Falklands government and endorced by the UK. The move escalates tensions over sovereignty of the island group, a legacy dispute dating back to the 1982 conflict. Legal proceedings in Hamburg could shape future offshore exploration rights in the contested waters.
The Argentinian government has begun legal action seeking to stop the exploration of oil and gas fields north of the Falkland Islands in a row with the UK.
Buenos Aires has stated that the request lodged with the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea is aimed at blocking activity it says was authorised "illegally" by the UK.
The claim follows President Javier Milei’s demand last month for the scrapping of the Sea Lion oilfield project, a joint venture between Israeli and British companies.
UK Foreign Office minister Uma Kumaran criticised the "escalating campaign" from Argentina against firms operating in the Falklands, and announced new protective measures for them.
This legal move heightens tensions between the UK and Argentina over the territory’s sovereignty – a dispute reignited by the 1982 war when a British task force expelled Argentine forces.
Milei has also threatened economic sanctions on companies exploiting oil near the Falklands, a move the UK calls "economic coercion" against the islands’ population.
The Sea Lion field lies roughly 130 miles (209 km) from the islands and contains an estimated 1.7 billion barrels of oil, with production expected to begin in 2028 under licences granted by the Falklands government.
Both partners – Britain’s Rockhopper Exploration and Israel’s Navitas Petroleum – insist they hold valid licences issued by the UK, while Argentina argues the area is protected by international law and requires the tribunal’s intervention to preserve sovereign rights.
Argentina’s Foreign Affairs Minister Pablo Quirno has requested the tribunal to issue orders against the UK, including halting new exploration permits, while the UK maintains that the field is lawful, located on the Falklands shelf and regulated by the islands’ government.
The tribunal, based in Hamburg, will consider the dispute under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. UK officials will engage with the tribunal but resist the claim, defending legitimate economic activity and protecting firms from Argentine coercion through the Protection of Trade Interests Act.
