Shares in Falkland Islands-focused oil explorers Rockhopper Exploration and Borders & Southern Petroleum fell sharply in early London trading after Argentina’s President Javier Milei threatened sanctions against companies operating around the islands.
Borders & Southern fell around 15%, while Rockhopper dropped about 9% to 71.1p, having briefly touched a two-month low at the start of trading.
The sell-off followed comments from Milei describing development of the Sea Lion oilfield as a “clear and present danger” and warning that further activity around the Falkland Islands would be viewed by Argentina as a national security issue.
Rockhopper holds a significant interest in Sea Lion alongside operator Navitas Petroleum, with development drilling expected to begin in the coming months and first oil currently targeted for 2028.
Sea Lion lies roughly 220 kilometres north of the Falkland Islands and represents one of the most advanced potential oil developments in the region.
Argentina continues to claim sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, which it calls the Malvinas, and Milei said Buenos Aires would not “stand idly by” as development progresses.
The comments have injected fresh geopolitical risk into Falklands-focused oil shares at a time when Sea Lion has been gaining momentum following increased investment commitments and preparations for development.
The reaction was particularly severe for Borders & Southern, whose investment case is closely tied to renewed industry interest in the wider Falklands basin and progress in finding a partner for its Darwin discovery.
Comment: Oh dear. President Trump has landed us in it with the Falklands. Luckily, if the Chagos Islands are anything to go by, the government will propose to pay Argentina £100bn to take the Falklands back. Actually, let’s be generous, make than £500bn. One wonders what the late Baroness Thatcher would have made of all this? Unfortunately the level of journalism is so low these days, commentators would say she would be in favour of handing back the Falklands and presumably, anti-Brexit too.
