‘Exciting’ marine phenomenon at offshore gas platform ignites spark of scientific research

July 17, 2025, by Melisa Cavcic

CSA Ocean Sciences (CSA), a marine environmental consulting firm, has shed light on a scientific discovery at an offshore natural gas platform in the Mediterranean Sea, which has spurred subsequent investigation among faculty members at Tel Aviv University and collaborating partners in the region.

This marine discovery, involving CSA field teams, occurred during an annual environmental monitoring survey of the waters surrounding the Chevron-operated Leviathan production platform off the coast of Israel. The operator got the go-ahead to resume production from the asset last month, once the situation between Israel and Iran cooled down with the U.S.-arranged ceasefire deal.

As outlined in the scientific paper, ‘A dramatic northward range expansion of a Red Sea soft coral in the Mediterranean Sea,’ the survey enabled numerous colonies of the soft coral species, Dendronephthya hemprichi, native to the coral reefs of the Red Sea, to be spotted growing on the platform’s subsea structures at depths of up to 30 meters.

CSA describes the discovery as “an unexpected phenomenon,” which it portrays as “exciting” and “extraordinary” since it triggered a collaborative research program, initiated by Dr. Tom Shlesinger, Marine Biologist from the School of Zoology and the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, and Prof. Yehuda Benayahu from the School of Zoology, to look further into the discovery and its implications.

“CSA is proud to have continually provided environmental monitoring services around the Leviathan production platform for the past five years, and is particularly grateful to Elad Mills, CEO of CSA Israel, for both his ongoing management of operations in the region and his efforts in actioning the next steps for scientific investigation, which included establishing the ongoing collaboration between Chevron and Tel-Aviv University,” the firm stated.

According to the marine environmental consulting player, the research will be led by a master’s student under the guidance of the researchers, in partnership with Chevron Mediterranean’s on-platform team and operational vessel, as well as project partners, NewMed Energy and Ratio Energies.

Located around 130 kilometers off the shores of Haifa, Leviathan is said to be the largest natural gas reservoir in the Mediterranean and the biggest energy project in Israel’s history, with 22.9 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of recoverable gas believed to be at its disposal.

CSA Ocean Sciences has explained that the ongoing study will entail periodic underwater visual surveys and the collection of coral samples for in-depth examination of their reproductive biology and dispersal capabilities in the Mediterranean Sea.

“The Leviathan partnership remains committed to operating responsibly, transparently, and in collaboration with the academic and scientific community in Israel,” emphasized CSA in the aftermath of the tropical surprise that was found during a routine underwater survey in December 2022, which continues to fuel research.

As the Leviathan partners have approved the budget for expanding the existing infrastructure to include a floating LNG (FLNG) facility, this expansion and the future FLNG facility, expected to produce 4.6 million tons of LNG per year, are seen as necessary for the potential LNG deliveries from the Leviathan reservoir to Germany under a deal inked by NewMed and Uniper.