The Argentine government has filed a criminal lawsuit against five oil and gas exploration firms related to Navitas Petroleum, the Israeli company leading the Sea Lion oil drilling project near the Malvinas Islands.
The lawsuit follows President Javier Milei’s announcement that he would toughen sanctions against the companies involved in the project north of the archipelago in the South Atlantic, which is under British control but which Argentina considers part of its territory.
Navitas Petroleum owns a 65% operating working interest in the Sea Lion project, while British partner Rockhopper Exploration owns 35%. Milei said sanctions would also affect stakeholders, investors, service providers, and other firms related to the project and its operators.
The Sea Lion offshore oil development is located in the North Malvinas Basin, about 220 kilometers north of the island’s capital, Puerto Argentino. Drilling is expected to begin in early 2027, with extraction set to start in 2028. The goal is to recover more than 300 million barrels over a 30-year period.
The firms named in the lawsuit filed by Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno are Navitas Petroleum Development & Production Ltd., Navitas Petroleum Atlantic United, and JHI Associates Inc.
