President Javier Milei stated on 2026-04-12 that the Sea Lion oil project represents a concrete and urgent danger to Argentina's sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. ^[1] President Javier Milei warned that the Sea Lion project is advancing toward oil exploitation in the Falkland Islands without authorization from Argentina. ^[2] A study published in the Energy Geoscience Conference Series by the Geological Society and the University of Aberdeen concludes that the Viking South gas field is geologically suitable for carbon dioxide storage. ^[3] The Sea Lion project aims to exploit hydrocarbon reserves in waters surrounding the Falkland Islands, a territory claimed by Argentina. ^[4] Navitas Petroleum signed a Memorandum of Understanding and acquired the OSX-1 floating production, storage, and offloading platform to increase planned hydrocarbon production from 55,000 to 180,000 barrels per day. ^[5] President Javier Milei pledged to deploy all state tools, including diplomatic, economic, judicial, and legal measures, to neutralize the advances of Navitas Petroleum and Rockhopper Exploration. ^[6] The report suggests that large-scale carbon storage could be delivered without leading to deindustrialization in the Humber region. ^[7] The research states that the Viking South field has proven containment integrity and operational readiness, having safely produced natural gas for over 30 years before ceasing operations in 2016. ^[8] The study estimates the Viking South site is capable of storing up to 88 million tonnes of CO2. ^[9] Argentina's Law 26.659 establishes sanctions for companies participating in unauthorized hydrocarbon activities within the Argentine continental shelf, including fines and disqualification periods of five to 20 years. ^[10] Navitas Petroleum, an Israeli company, holds a 65% stake in the project and operates the field located approximately 220 kilometers north of the archipelago. ^[11]