Ecocoast launches eco-friendly mooring block
Ecocoast has unveiled an ecologically designed mooring block called ‘Ecoreef’, which has been developed to help restore marine ecosystems, enhance coastal resilience and support the protection of coastlines and critical marine infrastructure.
The new mooring system was launched on World Oceans Day 2026. It replaces conventional concrete mooring blocks with specially designed reef structures intended to support juvenile fish, promote coral growth and enhance marine biodiversity. It is ideal for use around ports, marinas, tourist resorts, aquaculture sites, solar installations and coastal developments.
Three years of research
Ecoreef was designed by a team of in-house specialists and artificial reef expert and marine ecologist Dr Aaron Bartholomew. It took three years of dedicated research, engineering and iterative processes (development through trial and error, ed.). The Fujairah Research Centre (FRC) collaborated on post-design research, and a team of interns from the American University of Sharjah and the University of Oxford supported post-implementation monitoring.
Alternative to traditional mooring infrastructure
The project demonstrates a different approach to reducing the ecological footprint, offering a sustainable solution for mooring buoys, pontoons and other floating structures, whilst supporting healthier local marine ecosystems. It has been undergoing testing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since August 2025. Ecoreef ‘contains a complex habitat and colonisation surfaces designed to support marine life at multiple stages of development’.
Refuge for juvenile fish and coral settlement
Particular attention has been paid to creating a refuge for juvenile fish, which helps to increase survival rates in the early stages of development. During the first underwater monitoring in the UAE, the team also observed young snappers and grouper (hammour) on the installed Ecoreefs, which may indicate that fish of commercial importance to the local fishing industry are keen to inhabit the structure.
The design of the Ecoreef also encourages colonisation by coral, contributing to the gradual development of marine ecosystems around operational infrastructure. Trials have shown that these structures also benefit a wider range of biodiversity, including cryptic species, filter feeders that influence water clarity, and commercially important fish species – both adults and juveniles.
Ecomoor
Ecoreef is designed for use with Ecomoor, a floating system that offers an alternative to traditional steel mooring chains. Together, Ecoreef and Ecomoor enable ports, marinas, tourist destinations, aquaculture and civil operators to replace conventional mooring systems with ones that support habitat creation and marine regeneration.
As a new, patent-pending technology, Ecoreef complements Ecocoast’s broader range of sustainability and marine regeneration solutions for clients in the Middle East and Europe, which focuses on greening grey infrastructure and integrating ecological enhancements into operational marine assets. Ecoreef is manufactured in the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates.
Source: Mariska Buitendijk in SWZ Maritime.
Image: Ecocoast.
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