Argentina asks tribunal to halt Falklands oil project

On Oct. 13, 2026, Argentina asked the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg for provisional measures to stop UK exploitation of hydrocarbons on the North Malvinas Basin continental shelf. Sea Lion, 200 kilometers north of the islands, is operated by Navitas (65%) and Rockhopper (35%), with production planned for 2028. On Sept. 28 President Milei announced UNCLOS arbitration and gave the UK two weeks to halt the project. Britain has held the islands since 1833; Argentina claims them, and they fought a war in 1982. Both are UNCLOS parties. Contested claims: Uma Kumaran called the arbitration bid Argentina's "latest attempt" to "undermine the rights of the people" and said hydrocarbon activities "are conducted in full compliance with international law, including UNCLOS." Argentina's presidency said the filing preserves sovereign shelf rights and blocks activities it calls unilaterally and illegally authorized from aggravating a UN-recognized dispute, stating "By history and by law: the Malvinas Islands are Argentine." Argentina said differences belong "but before judges who apply the law that both parties have freely accepted." Since Aug. 3 curbs, Argentina has sued operators in domestic courts and urged oil firms worldwide not to supply the projects; some Sea Lion contractors publicly refused. Last week Navitas and Rockhopper said they would replace two contractors and continue.