The United Kingdom and Argentina have entered into a new diplomatic and legal clash over the Falkland Islands, after Buenos Aires asked the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea to halt the Sea Lion oil extraction project. Public hearings on the request for provisional measures are scheduled for 10 and 11 November in Hamburg.
Argentina is insisting that the United Kingdom cease development of the field and refrain from issuing new permits for the exploitation of natural resources in the disputed maritime areas. According to Buenos Aires, Britain’s approval of the project represents unilateral action that violates a 1976 resolution of the UN General Assembly, which called on both countries not to unilaterally alter the situation around the islands until the sovereignty dispute has been resolved.
The oil project at the centre of the dispute
Sea Lion is located around 220 kilometres north of the Falkland Islands. The project is being developed by Israel’s Navitas Petroleum and Britain’s Rockhopper Exploration and is valued at $2.2 billion.
Drilling is due to begin in March 2027, with first production planned for 2028. According to British estimates, the field could bring around £8 billion to the islands’ economy over its entire operating life, which is expected to last 35 years.
Argentina claims that the resources belong to the Argentine people and that any oil spill would primarily affect the country, which is located much closer to the islands. Argentine Foreign Ministry representative Mario Oyarzabal told the tribunal that the islanders have the right to protect their way of life, but not to decide which country the territory belongs to.
„These resources belong to the Argentine people,“ Oyarzabal said, quoted by „The Guardian“.
London defends the islanders
The British government rejects Argentina’s claims and insists that the Falkland Islands are British territory. London stresses the right of the approximately 3,600 residents to self-determination and to develop natural resources for their own economic benefit.
England and Wales Attorney General Ellie Reeves told the tribunal that halting the drilling would deprive the islands of billions of pounds and have „devastating consequences“ for the local population. She accused Argentina of using the maritime court to advance its longstanding sovereignty claims.
„The project is lawful and regulated by the democratically elected government of the Falkland Islands. Argentina has no jurisdiction over it,“ British Minister for the Overseas Territories Uma Kumaran told the House of Commons.
The United Kingdom is also preparing measures to protect companies and individuals who could be affected by Argentine sanctions or other actions against businesses connected to the islands.
The dispute goes back to the 1982 war
Argentina has maintained its claims to the islands, which it calls the Malvinas, since 1833. In 1982, the Argentine military junta occupied the archipelago, leading to a war with the United Kingdom. The conflict lasted 74 days and ended with an Argentine surrender.
The new case does not directly resolve the issue of sovereignty. The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea is considering the request for provisional measures while the forum for the main dispute is being determined. Argentina has chosen the tribunal in Hamburg, while the United Kingdom has chosen the International Court of Justice. If the two countries fail to reach an agreement, arbitration may be initiated under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Argentina and the United Kingdom are scheduled to deliver their closing statements on 11 November. The decision on the provisional measures will determine whether the Sea Lion project proceeds according to the planned timetable.
Sources: theguardian.com, apnews.com