10th Nov 2026 10:55
(Alliance News) - Argentina has called for an international court to block oil exploration and drilling near the Falkland Islands, claiming the UK had acted illegally by giving the go-ahead for the scheme.
Lawyers for the Argentine government asked for judges to order a halt to the Sea Lion project during a hearing at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, ITLOS, in Hamburg.
Argentina has long claimed sovereignty over the Falklands and invaded the islands in 1982, triggering a war which saw a British taskforce despatched to successfully retake the territory.
The Buenos Aires government has argued that drilling should not take place until the issue of sovereignty has been resolved.
The UK government vowed to "robustly defend our interests and those of the Falkland Islanders" who have "the right to develop their natural resources".
At the hearing in Hamburg, Argentina's lawyer Mario Oyarzabal said: "What is at stake cannot be restored.
"Hydrocarbons are non-renewable resources and their extraction is final. Drilling permanently alters the seabed and subsoil. Wells may be plugged, but they cannot be undone. Once extracted, oil cannot be put back.
"No compensation could restore the status quo ante, nor can the information obtained ever be withdrawn."
He added: "In the event of a blowout or spill, it is Argentina that would bear its consequences and be called upon to respond, not a state that is 12,700 kilometres away."
Oyarzabal referred to a 1995 agreement on co-operation in the South Atlantic, which Argentina pulled out of in 2007, arguing that the British granting of licences for oil exploration showed the UK had refused to work with Buenos Aires.
"Argentina did not abandon co-operation, but, as Argentines know well, it takes two to tango," he said.
"Unfortunately, the UK prefers to dance alone."
He urged the Hamburg court to grant provisional measures halting the Sea Lion project now pending a full resolution of the dispute.
The UK's representation at the tribunal will be led by Attorney General Ellie Reeves, although she was late to arrive for the Hamburg hearing.
The proceedings are expected to last two days, although a ruling could take several weeks.
The Sea Lion development is a joint venture in the South Atlantic Ocean between British and Israeli companies, and contains an estimated 1.7 billion barrels of oil.
Argentinian President Javier Milei previously described the companies' activities as unlawful and launched economic sanctions on people and firms involved in oil exploration around the islands.
Rockhopper Exploration shares were 0.8% higher at 67.00 pence each on Tuesday morning in London.
In October, the firm said it agreed to acquire a 35% interest in OSX-1 floating production, storage and offloading vessel.
The oil and gas exploration and production company with a joint interest in the Sea Lion project, back then said its 35% pro rata participating interest in OSX-1 was with Navitas Petroleum Development & Production Ltd, the operator and joint interest owner of the Sea Lion project.
By David Hughes, Press Association Political Editor
Press Association: News
source: PA
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