Argentina will file a criminal complaint against Navitas subsidiaries for operating in the Malvinas without authorization

The Government of Argentina announced this Monday that it will file a criminal complaint against several subsidiaries of the Israeli oil company Navitas for operating without Argentine authorization in the Malvinas Islands, administered by the United Kingdom since 1833.

According to the Argentine Presidency, the complaint will reach the companies Navitas Petroleum Development & Production Ltd, Navitas Petroleum Atlantic United, Navitas Petroleum LP, IHI Associates Inc and Eco Atlantic Oil & Gas Ltd.

Argentina alleges that these companies "allegedly have licenses granted by the illegitimate government of the United Kingdom for the exploration and/or exploitation of hydrocarbons in the North Malvinas Basin", in "violation" of Argentine laws.

The lawsuit will be presented by the Argentine Foreign Minister, Pablo Quirno, with the sponsorship of Sebastián Amerio, head of the Treasury Attorney General's Office, the body of lawyers of the Argentine State.

Navitas operates and owns a 65% stake in the Sea Lion offshore project, located 220 kilometers north of the Malvinas, in South Atlantic waters that are part of the historic dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the sovereignty of the islands.

The project, in which the British Rockhopper is a partner (35%), is in the development phase with a view to extracting crude oil from March 2028.

The Argentine Government has said that the lawsuit will also be directed against "all directors, managers, trustees, members of the supervisory board, administrators, agents, representatives or authorized persons who had intervened" in the project.

"The presentation of this complaint constitutes a concrete action to protect natural resources and ensure the sovereignty of the Argentine Republic over the Malvinas, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands and the corresponding maritime and island spaces, as they are an integral part of the national territory," the Government explained in its statement.

The Argentine president, Javier Milei, had announced last Thursday his intention to accelerate and toughen sanctions against oil companies that operate in the Malvinas under licenses granted by the local island government.

That day, Milei also announced that he will reactivate the plan to build a naval military base in the city of Ushuaia, capital of the southern province of Tierra del Fuego, about 700 kilometers from the Malvinas.

This Monday, Milei instructed the Minister of Economy, Luis Caputo, to prioritize this project in the preparation of the 2027 Budget, which will be sent to Parliament this month.