Argentina plans to maintain sanctions and criminal actions against firms tied to the Sea Lion oil project as an international tribunal prepares to rule on November 28.
Argentina’s head of foreign policy, Pablo Quirno, argued in a column published on Saturday in the newspaper La Nación that urgent measures are necessary to prevent irreversible damage to marine resources and the marine environment.
Legal and Judicial Actions in Hamburg
The Argentine government requested provisional measures from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in Hamburg to halt drilling authorized by the United Kingdom. According to La Tercera, citing a sealed declaration made public by The Guardian, Argentina wrote to Sam Moody, chief executive of Rockhopper Exploration, and the company’s chief financial officer on September 1, 2026, threatening them with criminal proceedings, prison sentences, and fines under national legislation. The Government expects with caution the resolution of the International Tribunal on the Argentine request to halt oil exploitation in Malvinas and prepares various legal and diplomatic actions depending on the outcome, while in Balcarce 50 they consider that Argentina made the appropriate presentations and that now the decision depends exclusively on the magistrates, noting that the Tribunal of the Sea does not have to resolve who exercises sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands.
En el Gobierno consideran que esa coordinación será necesaria para sostener el arbitraje y ejecutar las próximas decisiones, complementando el frente judicial con las actuaciones contra empresas vinculadas con la explotación de hidrocarburos en Malvinas y el proyecto de Ley de Defensa de la Soberanía Nacional, mientras optan por esa vía para exigir que el Reino Unido cumpla sus obligaciones relativas a los recursos naturales de los espacios marítimos en disputa y evite introducir modificaciones unilaterales, porque la Convención permite solicitar al Tribunal Internacional del Derecho del Mar, con sede en Hamburgo, medidas provisionales, es decir, protección urgente para evitar daños irreparables durante esa espera, como defendió el canciller quien argumentó posibles daños irreversibles a los recursos naturales y al medioambiente marino, exigiendo asimismo detener las perforaciones autorizadas por el Reino Unido y acelerar una nueva ley para reforzar la defensa de la soberanía argentina, y defenderla exige actuar con la determinación a la que nos obligan la fuerza de nuestra Constitución Nacional y lo sagrado de esta gesta.
Rockhopper Exploration is leading the offshore oil project north of the islands alongside the Israeli company Navitas.
During hearings in Hamburg, British Attorney General Ellie Reeves argued before the tribunal that suspending the project would end its hopes of success and bring devastating consequences for local residents, noting that the project is expected to double the island’s GDP and generate 8,000 million pounds sterling in government revenue over its lifetime, as reported by La Tercera.
Meanwhile, the U.S. company Halliburton announced it would perform no work on the Sea Lion project following conversations with Argentina, according to La Tercera. The tribunal’s upcoming decision on November 28, 2026, focuses on whether to order the suspension of exploratory drilling and production infrastructure while the broader territorial controversy remains pending.
Reactivating the suspended commercial shipping route to the islands
“We are confident that the Argentine defense of sovereignty over Malvinas will in no case affect relations between Chile and Argentina and they have a strategic character,” Muñoz told reporters.
Official Views and Sovereignty Debates
Andrés Dachary, Secretary of Malvinas, Antarctica, South Atlantic Islands and International Affairs of Tierra del Fuego, analyzed the Argentine claim for the sovereignty of the Malvinas Islands, diplomatic tensions with Chile, and the national government’s foreign policy decisions, explaining regarding a potential elimination or weakening of the Committee that it could be seen as a setback, but would also force Argentina to return to the UN General Assembly, an arena of greater political weight and visibility, while warning about the provincial industrial crisis and expressing concern by stating:
“Imaginate cuánto va a preocupar la industria manufacturera electrónica en Tierra del Fuego si esta gente está dispuesta a venderte La Pampa, Chubut, Río Negro o Formosa a cualquier señor que venga y ponga la plata”
Andrés Dachary
”
Questions about the Sea Lion project and tribunal ruling
When will the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea issue its ruling?
The Tribunal is scheduled to issue its decision on provisional measures on November 28, 2026, following two days of hearings held in Hamburg, Germany.
What companies are involved in the Sea Lion oil project?
The offshore oil project is led by Rockhopper Exploration, a British company, and Navitas, an Israeli company, with planned infrastructure encompassing 23 wells and 35 years of production.
