Argentina, appeal against the United Kingdom for oil in the Falklands-Malvinas

The Argentine government will ask the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea next week for provisional measures against the United Kingdom to stop hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation activities in the waters of the Falkland-Malvinas Islands, disputed between the two countries. This was reported by the Argentine newspaper Clarín, according to which the request comes at the expiration of the two-week ultimatum given by President Javier Milei in London. The proceedings were initiated on the basis of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

At the center of the dispute is the Sea Lion oil project, developed by Britain's Rockhopper and Israel's Navitas Petroleum, with production expected to start in 2028. The court, based in Hamburg, will not be called upon to decide on the sovereignty of the islands, but on the possibility of unilaterally exploiting non-renewable resources in a disputed maritime area. According to Buenos Aires, the initiative aims to protect its rights on the continental shelf.