Milei prepares legal escalation over Malvinas oil project
Malvinas ultimatum set to expire, government to take UK to world maritime tribunal; Navitas Petroleum and Rockhopper maintain plans to develop Sea Lion project north of the archipelago. Leer más
Argentina's President Javier Milei is preparing to seek legal action against the UK over the 'Sea Lion' offshore oil project located near the Malvinas Islands. The UK has indicated it will disregard a two-week deadline set by Milei, which expires on September 29. The oil project, a joint venture between Israel's Navitas Petroleum and Britain's Rockhopper Exploration, is set to commence production in 2028 after drilling begins early next year.
Milei has instructed the Foreign Ministry and legal staff to initiate arbitration proceedings under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Meanwhile, Argentina has already filed an arbitration claim against the UK under UNCLOS, and is seeking provisional measures from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg.
The dispute revolves around the project's alleged unlawful exploitation of Argentina's resources in disputed territory. Rockhopper maintains that their operations are legal under the licences granted by the Falkland Islands Government. The dispute has already led to some oil-services providers withdrawing from the project due to threats of sanctions.
Britain has rejected Argentina's position and supports the development of the islands' natural resources.
Written by urgent.news from Buenos Aires Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
