MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina has ten companies in the “bad boys” list for involvement in Falklands oil activities

Navitas Petroleum that recently reached an agreement with Rockhopper Exploration in the Sea Lion project is the last company to join the list

The Argentine Secretary of Malvinas affairs has included another oil company with interests in the Falklands hydrocarbons industry in the “list of bad boys” for allegedly operating without authorization from Argentina.

The company sanctioned by Argentina is Navitas Petroleum LP, originally from Israel, which is dedicated to the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons, and recently entered an agreement with Rockhopper Exploration in the northern Falklands basin.

The news was announced by Martin Dinatale, an Argentine journalist with long experience in Falkland Islands issues and good contacts in Argentine political circles. The measure was endorsed by Guillermo Carmona, Secretary of Malvinas, Antarctica and South Atlantic issues together with Argentina's Energy Secretary.

More specifically Navitas was pinpointed for operating in the Argentine continental shelf in the Northern Malvinas basin at the “Sea Lion” project which has proven reserves of oil, and is operating with “licenses awarded by the illegal government of the Malvinas Islands”.

According to Dinatale, based on a document from the Malvinas Secretariat, since 2012/2013, ten international oil and gas companies have been sanctioned by the Argentine government, because of illegal oil activities in the proximity of the Malvinas Islands.

Companies (bad boys) numerated in the Argentine list are : Falkland Oil And Gas Limited; Rockhopper Exploration PLC.; Borders and Southern Petroleum PLC.; Argos Resources LTD.; Desire Petroleum PLC.; Premier Oil PLC.; Noble Energy Falklands Limited; Noble Energy INC.; Edison International SPA. and Navitas Petroleum LP.

As a consequence these companies are banned from participating in any hydrocarbons exploration bids in Argentine continental territory and offshore. “All companies detected involved in illegal operations in the Malvinas Islands have been sanctioned,” underlined Carmona.

Based on Bill 26.659, Argentina's Energy Secretary is responsible for implementing the administrative process, which declares the oil companies involved “clandestine” and bans them from any activities in Argentine territory for twenty years.

According to Dinatale during 2020 the Argentine government sent letters to the companies involved, discouraging them of such activities and remembering that the Malvinas, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands and surrounding maritime spaces are an integral part of the Argentine national territory.

Most sanctions to the oil companies involved operating in Malvinas waters, breaching Argentine sovereignty aspirations, were applied between 2012 and 2013, another three in 2015 and the latest this year.