Argentina asks sea tribunal to halt Falklands oil project

Argentina has asked the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea to order a temporary halt to the Sea Lion oil project near the Falkland Islands, known in Argentina as the Islas Malvinas. The filing, reported on October 13 by the [Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/2a78578f0a9ffda403f4721c4e1d304f) and [Reuters](https://www.internazionale.it/ultime-notizie-reuters/2026/10/13/argentina-seeks-tribunal-order-against-uk-oil-activity-near-falklands), seeks provisional measures against the planned $2.2 billion development by Britain’s Rockhopper Exploration and Israel’s Navitas Petroleum. AP reports the companies expect production to begin in 2028. This is the next step after President Javier Milei’s government announced on September 28 that it was starting arbitration under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea and gave the U.K. two weeks to stop the project. Argentina says it is defending sovereign rights over its continental shelf; the [official announcement](https://ealem.cancilleria.gob.ar/es/comunicado-oficial-n%C3%BAmero-166-comunicado-oficial-de-la-oficina-del-presidente-javier-milei-0) set out that position. Britain rejects Argentina’s jurisdiction, says the project is lawful under Falkland Islands regulation, and says it will engage with the tribunal process. Its position was restated in Parliament on Tuesday, AP and Reuters report. The filing itself does not stop construction or cancel permits. Reuters reports the British government said it was not a judgment and did not require hydrocarbon activity to cease; the companies have said they do not expect Argentina’s actions to derail development. No tribunal ruling or timetable for the request was reported on Tuesday. The immediate question is whether the tribunal grants interim measures while the arbitration proceeds. That decision could affect a high-value project in a long-running sovereignty dispute, but it will not settle who owns the islands. The Falklands have been administered by the U.K. since 1833; Argentina maintains its claim. For now, both governments have stated their positions, and the project’s planned 2028 start remains a forecast, not a guarantee. ~worldnews ~energy