# Burnham raises Argentina's campaign against the Sea Lion oil project with Trump

Halliburton has declined to work on the field north of the Falkland Islands and operator Navitas has replaced two contractors, as Buenos Aires prepares sanctions on suppliers and financiers.

- Published: 2026-10-25T05:18:39.834Z
- Canonical: https://polylog.news/2026-10-25/burnham-raises-argentina-s-campaign-against-the-sea-lion-oil
- Publisher: Polylog (Global desk)
- Section: geopolitics
- Sources: [MercoPress](https://en.mercopress.com/2026/10/24/burnham-tells-trump-of-the-economic-consequences-of-argentina-s-falklands-measures?utm_source=feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_content=main&utm_campaign=rss), [Buenos Aires Times](https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/amp/world/uk-pm-burnham-raises-malvinas-oil-project-in-call-with-trump.phtml), [bne IntelliNews](https://www.intellinews.com/milei-rules-out-force-over-falklands-as-oil-row-with-britain-escalates-478175/)

In a phone call on Friday, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham told US President Donald Trump about [the economic consequences that Argentina's "coercive measures" have for the United Kingdom and the United States](https://en.mercopress.com/2026/10/24/burnham-tells-trump-of-the-economic-consequences-of-argentina-s-falklands-measures?utm_source=feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_content=main&utm_campaign=rss), MercoPress reported. The call focused on the Sea Lion oil project north of the Falkland Islands. Britain administers the islands, Argentina calls them the Malvinas and claims sovereignty over them, and the Buenos Aires Times [reported the call under that name](https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/amp/world/uk-pm-burnham-raises-malvinas-oil-project-in-call-with-trump.phtml).

The UK government approved Sea Lion on October 13. Reported resource estimates range from about [900 million barrels](https://londonlovesbusiness.com/900-million-barrels-of-black-gold-burnham-warns-trump-as-argentina-moves-to-halt-falklands-drilling/) to 1.7 billion barrels. MercoPress says operator Navitas, which holds 65% of the project, has already had to replace two contractors, and US oilfield services company Halliburton has ruled out working on it. In Argentina, a National Sovereignty Defence bill still stalled in the Chamber of Deputies would extend sanctions to affiliates, shareholders, financiers and suppliers of companies operating in the islands. The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in Hamburg will hold hearings on November 10 and 11 on Buenos Aires' request for provisional measures to halt production.

President Javier Milei has [ruled out using force](https://www.intellinews.com/milei-rules-out-force-over-falklands-as-oil-row-with-britain-escalates-478175/) as the dispute escalates, according to bne IntelliNews. Trump has said in recent weeks that the long-standing US position of neutrality on sovereignty over the islands is under review. Buenos Aires wants Washington, its closest ally under Milei, to move toward its position. London wants Washington to treat Argentina's pressure on contractors as a cost to US companies.

## What this means

Argentina cannot stop Sea Lion by force and does not try to. It is using access to its own market, including the Vaca Muerta shale region that oilfield-services companies want to keep, to make contractors choose between the two. Halliburton's withdrawal shows companies choosing the larger market. Navitas, its lenders and the islands' government revenue are the most exposed. Firms serving both markets face legal risk if the sanctions bill passes. The precedent is China's 2021–22 pressure on Lithuania: by targeting third-country firms that used Lithuanian inputs, Beijing led suppliers to drop those inputs within months, without any formal embargo. The likelier outcome is further contractor withdrawals that delay Sea Lion's development schedule over the coming months, whatever ITLOS decides. This read is wrong if Washington publicly confirms its neutrality or backs Britain, or if ITLOS rejects Argentina's request and major contractors return.

## What to watch

- The ITLOS hearings on November 10 and 11 and any order on provisional measures. A ruling for Argentina would add legal risk for the project's financiers.
- Whether Argentina's Chamber of Deputies moves the National Sovereignty Defence bill forward. Passage would turn informal pressure into legal liability for suppliers.
- Any formal change to the US position on sovereignty. A shift either way would change contractors' assessment of risk.