An offshore British oil company has won three zones in the West Malvinas Basin

Tullow Oil has been found with three concessions in the area near the Falkland Islands.

April 23, 2019

In September of last year, Javier Iguacel he anticipated in Houston the call for international public competition for the Argentine offshore. By the way, and once the decree 872 (October 2018) of "Costa Afuera public competitions" was known, this observatory warned, first of all, about extension of jurisdiction in favor of international tribunals (ICSID, among others) for the 38 areas included in the call for tenders; secondly, one of the three basins included in the contest, the Malvinas West Basin, being attached to the Falkland Islands it was automatically constituted in an area of ​​great geopolitical transcendence and national security for which the regulations in force (including Resolution 65 of November 2018) made no objection in this respect; and, third, that this delivery of oil under the sea of ​​Argentina obeyed the urgent need for collect fresh dollars to finance the IMF shield to the neoliberal regime in addition to providing more oxygen to national looting by financial terrorism and its endless bleeding of capital. In this brief report, we have updated the point on the Falklands issue.

First of all, it should be remembered that there is a proven geological link between the basins around the islands and the west basin of Malvinas. Even, it is thought that the relationship would extend to the southern marine basin, also offered by macrismo. As well, The Secretary of Energy has communicated to the candidates free of charge the official database with all the information on geological prospecting. available today (2D, 3D and offshore wells) related to these three basins. Exploration licenses last between 4 and 13 years, while the concession a minimum of 30 years. There is no clause regarding the future of gas production as oil. Finally, and as we point out to the opportunity, the tendered areas are subject to international arbitration (according to UNCITRAL rules) in the event of litigation or litigation.

In the West Malvinas basin, 18 zones have been set up. The winning bids, which will be awarded within the next 30 days, relate to 9 areas. D & # 39; them, the British oil company Tullow won in three. In two cases, it will be a consortium with Pluspetrol and Wintershall (with a 40% stake in both cases), while in the third, it will go alone (100%). With the awarding of the three areas, the national state will receive 232 million dollars.

Tullow Oil is a British oil company, specializing in offshore exploration and exploitation. It has 87 licenses granted in 17 countries located mainly in Africa.

After taking note of Decree 872, this observatory warned of the serious threat to national security that would involve the allocation by British oil companies of areas in the western basin of Malvinas, located at a distance from about 100 to 150 km from the islands. and more or less the same distance from the current exploration area in the northern Malvinas Basin by the consortium between Rockhopper and Premier (both British). We were not wrong in the warning.

Neither Decree 872 nor Resolution 65 (bearing all the conditions of the cycle) make the least exception at the level of the competing companies with respect to their country of origin, both for the permits and the licenses. exploration only for exploitation concessions. Any ban is much less mentioned for companies already operating illegally and illegally north of the islands.

It is not forbidden either that the winning companies – even if they come from the United Kingdom – can use or promote the construction of port facilities in Puerto Argentino for the export of crude oil, using the islands as platform form, just as they are destined for crude oil. extracts from the northern basin of Malvinas (see bibliography).

Thanks to the excellent efforts and initiatives of macrismo, The colonialist aspirations of the United Kingdom and NATO in the South Atlantic, the Patagonia region and Antarctic Argentina have just taken a new step.