The Argentine government has asked the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) to order provisional measures to halt oil drilling in the maritime area near the Malvinas Islands.

ITLOS is an independent judicial body established under the United Nations (UN) in 1982. It has jurisdiction over disputes concerning the interpretation or application of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The move is part of the sanctions and other measures announced by President Javier Milei in early September against the companies leading the Sea Lion offshore oil project in the Malvinas North Basin: British firm Rockhopper Exploration and its Israeli partner Navitas Petroleum, as well as their associates or shareholders. 

Drilling is scheduled to begin in early 2027.

The project was approved by the islands’ government and backed by the United Kingdom. Argentina maintains that the companies plan to drill for and........

© Buenos Aires Herald