Europe
Argentina asks maritime tribunal to order UK to halt Falklands Sea Lion oil project
Argentina has filed a request with the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea for provisional measures against the UK over hydrocarbon exploitation near the Falkland Islands.
Argentina has asked the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in Hamburg to prescribe provisional measures against the United Kingdom in a dispute over oil development near the Falkland Islands, which Argentina calls the Malvinas. The tribunal announced the request on 13 October.
What the tribunal has published
According to the tribunal’s calendar of events, Argentina filed the request under article 290, paragraph 5, of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The tribunal describes the case as a "dispute concerning the exploitation of hydrocarbon resources in the South-West Atlantic Ocean". The entry refers to the tribunal’s Press Release No. 401 and does not give a case number.
UN News reported that Argentina wants the tribunal to order the UK to halt the Sea Lion offshore oil project in the North Malvinas Basin. Buenos Aires seeks the suspension while an arbitration case it launched on 28 September 2026 is under way. UN News adds that Argentina also asks London to refrain from steps that could aggravate the dispute, such as granting new permits.
Next step and background
A hearing date will be announced shortly, UN News said; none has been set in the sources read. The ITLOS entry does not set out the measures requested, a timetable or any response from the United Kingdom.
UN News recalls that the UN lists the Falkland Islands as a non-self-governing territory and has long urged both sides to negotiate. It says Britain has administered the islands since 1833, that Argentina claims sovereignty, and that the two countries fought a war over them in 1982. According to the same report, Buenos Aires wants to resume bilateral talks, while London says the islanders have the right to determine their own future and that sovereignty cannot be discussed without their consent.
UN News also notes that tensions rose after President Javier Milei gave London a two-week ultimatum over the project and announced tougher measures against companies involved in oil and gas exploration around the islands.
