What began as a "strategic partnership" between the British company Rockhopper and the Israeli operator Navitas Petroleum has mutated in the first days of 2026 into a financial takeover by powerful investment funds based in Israel. Between January 2 and 7, a series of filings with the London Stock Exchange revealed that more than 18% of Rockhopper's shares are now held by three funds from Tel Aviv and Herzliya .

This "Israeliization" of the capital behind the Sea Lion project is not accidental: it seeks to shield the project with a network of global interests that will cause any future sanctions from the Argentine State to run up against a wall of international investors.

A snapshot of the new shareholder front

Following the financial close on December 31, 2025, official reports detail the new power map at the oil company:

Investment Fund

Origin

Stake (%)

Shares (Approx.)

Noked Capital Ltd

Tel Aviv, Israel

9,32%

79.004.742

Aedos Advisers (Jon Paul Wood)

London, UK

7,98%

67.573.228

Exodus Management Israel Ltd

Givataim, Israel

5,15%

43.645.032

ION Fund Management Ltd

Herzliya, Israel

3,90%

33.038.346

The network that the Milei and Melella governments don't want to see

While the Israeli Foreign Ministry formally distances itself, clarifying that these are "private companies," the reality on the ground shows absolute coordination. Navitas Petroleum —operator of 65% of the field—and these new shareholder funds share an origin and a strategic vision: to extract 50,000 barrels per day starting in 2028.

The "political negligence" of the last ten years of Argentine democratic governments, and especially that of Javier Melella in Tierra del Fuego, has allowed Rockhopper to grow from a small company into a giant backed by the City of London and Israeli capital . While the national and Tierra del Fuego governments issue press releases of "condemnation," these funds have injected $142 million in the last month alone to ensure that drilling for the "heist of the century" begins without delay.

The Road to 2028: Actions vs. Words

With the capital secured, the timeline for economic usurpation is relentless:

2025 ended with the confirmation that the plunder is fully funded. 2026 begins with the names of those who are dividing up Argentina's wealth. If the national government doesn't escalate its efforts by pursuing international tribunals and imposing real financial sanctions on these parent companies, the "First Oil" of 2028 will be the final monument to a sovereignty that was defended only with words .