Karish, a gas platform in the Mediterranean Sea, is one of Israel’s most strategic and heavily protected facilities. The offshore installation produces natural gas that is sent ashore, converted into electricity at power stations, and fed into Israel’s national grid for homes, hospitals, factories and transport. It currently supplies about 40% of the Israeli economy’s gas consumption.
The platform operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with dozens of workers on rotating shifts. Israeli and foreign staff live and work there in cycles of about two weeks to a month, then are replaced in an ongoing year-round rotation. Because the site is completely cut off from land, access is by helicopter only, landing on a helipad about 33 meters above sea level under strict procedures.
Inside the FPSO vessel, 220 meters long and weighing about 94,000 tons, production systems run continuously, monitoring is constant, and control rooms are staffed at all times. The platform is anchored to the seabed by 14 massive anchors and linked to shore by a 90-kilometer subsea pipeline. Any malfunction requires an immediate response because of the possible impact on Israel’s energy supply.
Security is layered around the site, reflecting its status as a critical national asset. The Navy provides the outer maritime and perimeter protection using vessels, detection systems and operational forces, while a permanent security team operates on the platform itself. Since Karish began operating in October 2022, it has become a pillar of Israel’s energy supply. During Operation Swords of Iron, the Energy Ministry, on the recommendation of the security establishment, ordered the platform shut for about six weeks because of fears of damage to offshore energy infrastructure.
