MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina and the UK to face off in Hamburg on November 10 over Falklands oil

Argentina submitted its request on October 13, pending the constitution of the arbitral tribunal under Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea will hold hearings on November 10 and 11 on Argentina’s request for an order requiring the United Kingdom to halt the Sea Lion oil project north of the Falklands. The dates were set by the tribunal’s president, Judge Maurice K. Kamga, in an order dated October 20.

The case, officially named the Case concerning hydrocarbon exploitation in the South-West Atlantic Ocean (Argentina v. United Kingdom), will be heard in the main courtroom of the Hamburg-based tribunal. The hearing will be public and broadcast live on its website, where verbatim records will later be published. The detailed schedule of sittings will be announced later.

Argentina submitted its request on October 13, pending the constitution of the arbitral tribunal under Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. It seeks four provisional measures, including that the United Kingdom prevent the commencement or continuation of hydrocarbon exploitation through Sea Lion and refrain from granting new permits. To prescribe them, the tribunal must consider that the arbitral tribunal would have prima facie jurisdiction over the dispute and that the situation is urgent.

The United Kingdom has said it will take part in the proceedings, challenge any attempt to use them to settle sovereignty over the archipelago and regard any provisional measures prescribed as binding. Sea Lion, operated by Navitas Petroleum and Rockhopper Exploration, expects first oil in 2028.