Photo by Arvind Vallabh
Marine scientists have successfully rescued deep-sea corals from decommissioned North Sea oil platforms and relocated them to artificial reefs, pioneering a revolutionary approach to preserving ancient marine ecosystems.
The groundbreaking project, led by Professor Murray Roberts of the University of Edinburgh, represents a dramatic shift from the previous practice of sending platform-dwelling corals to landfill when offshore structures are removed.
Unexpected ocean cities
When Roberts first noticed coral formations on oil platforms in the late 1990s, he discovered something remarkable: the corals grew faster on platform legs than anywhere else he had observed. These colonies became reproductively active, with their offspring feeding into marine protected areas across the North Sea.
“Deep sea corals are very important; they’re the cities of the deep sea,” said Roberts. “The skeletons are really complex structures and when they die, they remain there. Other animals come and live in those cities.”
High-tech rescue operation
Working with researcher Simone D’Alessandro and industry partners through the European Redress Project, the team used remotely-operated subsea robots to carefully collect corals from platforms East of Shetland.
The rescued corals were maintained at the St Abbs Marine Station for several months before being attached to concrete columns with cable ties and relocated West of Shetland—specifically targeting areas where corals had been destroyed by bottom trawling.
Climate refuges
The site selection was guided by sophisticated climate modelling conducted with Yuri Artioli at Plymouth Marine Laboratory. Their research revealed that the chosen restoration areas are projected to become climate refuges for cold-water corals as deep Atlantic populations face threats from ocean warming and acidification.
Addressing industrial challenge
The initiative tackles a pressing problem: hundreds of North Sea facilities are being decommissioned, with around 50 years of coral growth typically lost to landfill. The new restoration sites benefit from exclusion zones that protect corals from destructive fishing practices.
Speaking at the Structures in the Marine Environment (SIME) 2025 conference in June 2025, Roberts’ explored what role North Sea rigs could play in the restoration and resilience of cold-water coral ecosystems.
Global movement
The North Sea project joins broader restoration efforts including NOAA’s Gulf of Mexico work following the Deepwater Horizon spill and Spain’s Deep CORE project, representing humanity’s first serious attempts to actively restore deep-sea ecosystems.
The relocated corals now rest on the Atlantic seabed as climate refuges, demonstrating that industrial partnerships can transform environmental challenges into conservation opportunities. As Roberts noted, this represents “a first small step” showing that “with the right partnership between government, industry and academic research we can actively restore deep-sea corals without damaging natural reefs.”