Argentina's Sea Lion Oil Case Against UK Heads to UN Tribunal in Hamburg Argentina's objection to the United Kingdom's Sea Lion oil project near the Falkland Islands will be heard by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg on November 10 and 11. Law of the sea expert Donald R. Rothwell says the case "could fall at the first hurdle," since the tribunal cannot rule on territorial sovereignty disputes. Argentina claims sovereignty over the islands and their surrounding waters.

Argentina has asked the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) to rule on its objections to the Sea Lion oil project, a British-licensed development north of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. The Hamburg-based tribunal will hold hearings on Argentina's request on November 10 and 11.

Australian law of the sea expert Donald R. Rothwell said the case "could fall at the first hurdle," since ITLOS has no authority to rule on territorial sovereignty disputes and can only address matters arising under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Whether the tribunal even has jurisdiction is likely to be decided before any ruling on the project itself.

Argentina claims sovereignty over the Falklands and their surrounding waters, a claim the United Kingdom, which has administered the islands since 1833, disputes. The two countries fought a war over the territory in 1982, and the dispute has resurfaced in recent years over fishing rights and offshore energy projects in the South Atlantic. The jurisdictional ruling expected after the November hearings will determine whether Argentina's broader challenge to the oil project proceeds at all.