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Argentina has asked the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea to halt a British-authorized oil project near the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, further escalating a sovereignty dispute over the archipelago.
Buenos Aires said on October 13 that it had requested interim measures against the British-Israeli offshore oil project planned on the continental shelf of the North Falkland Basin.
Argentina described the activity as “unilateral and unlawful.” Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno said the application aims to prevent work from starting or continuing at the Sea Lion field.
London says project is lawful
Uma Kumaran, a minister at the UK Foreign Office who spoke in Parliament, said lawful commercial activity on the islands was continuing. London would cooperate with the tribunal, she said, but would not comment continuously on the proceedings.
Kumaran said the application did not constitute a ruling by an international court and did not invalidate licenses issued by the Falkland Islands government. Britain also announced legal measures to protect companies from attempts to compel them to comply with Argentine law.
The Sea Lion field is located about 220 kilometers north of the Falkland Islands. Israel’s Navitas Petroleum holds a 65% stake in the project, while Britain’s Rockhopper Exploration owns 35%. First oil from the field is expected in 2028.
On September 28, Argentine President Javier Milei ordered the start of arbitration proceedings against Britain under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and gave London two weeks to respond. When an arbitral tribunal is constituted, it may prescribe interim measures if it finds that it has sufficient grounds to hear the case and that urgent intervention is necessary. Such measures would not resolve the sovereignty dispute.
In September, Milei’s government also introduced a bill to toughen penalties for companies operating on the islands without Argentine authorization. The bill has not yet been approved by Congress.
History of the Falkland Islands dispute
Britain has controlled the archipelago, which Argentina calls the Malvinas Islands, since 1833. Argentina says the islands, located 480 kilometers east of the country’s southern Patagonian coast, were unlawfully taken from it in the 19th century.
Argentina sent troops to the islands in 1982, triggering a 74-day war. About 650 Argentines and 255 Britons were killed. In a 2013 referendum, with 92% voter turnout, islanders voted by 1,513 to three to remain a British Overseas Territory. London has said it will not discuss sovereignty unless the islanders want it to.
