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Juvenile fish on Ecoreef
Published on 12 Jun ‘26
Ecoreef: The Eco-Engineered Mooring Block That Gives Back to the Ocean
Ecoreef eco-engineered mooring block

Three years ago, we asked a simple question: What if the infrastructure we put into the sea could give something back?

From idea to ocean

Ecoreef started life in 2023 during the UAE’s Year of Sustainability. The concept was straightforward, but ambitious. We wanted to take the most common piece of marine hardware – the traditional concrete mooring block – and redesign it from the ground up to actively support marine life. Crucially, it had to do this without compromising its primary function as a mooring block.

What followed was three years of research, six design iterations, two field trials, and collaborations. We brought together our in-house team, renowned marine ecologist Dr. Aaron Bartholomew from the American University of Sharjah, the University of Oxford and the Fujairah Research Centre.

The result is Ecoreef, a patent-pending, eco-engineered mooring block. It combines clay and terracotta components with engineered refugia: the sheltered microhabitats that juvenile fish depend on to survive. Paired with Ecomoor, our neutrally buoyant mooring line technology, it replaces a traditional mooring system with one that actively supports marine ecosystems.

Launch day in Fujairah

We marked the official launch with a dive event in Fujairah on 8 June – World Oceans Day. Partners, researchers, industry professionals and marine enthusiasts joined us in the water to see the trial sites firsthand.

When the divers surfaced, the excitement was hard to contain. Juvenile snappers and groupers (locally known as hammour) were already using the Ecoreef structures as refuge. Moreover, fish clouds were visible in and around the units. And in one of the most unexpected moments of the day, native Emirati oysters had started settling on the structures. This was a sight that even surprised our marine experts on site, as oysters don’t typically settle in these kind of environments.

The contrast with the traditional concrete control block sitting alongside it was stark. The concrete block had barnacles and hermit crabs – and that was the ceiling. On the Ecoreef, however, an entirely different community had taken hold. Plants, sponges, sea squirts, filter feeders, soft corals and consistent populations of juvenile fish across multiple species were all present.

Ecoreef World Ocean Day Ecoreef World Oceans Day

More in our LinkedIn post.

What makes Ecoreef different

Most artificial reefs attract fish by drawing existing populations towards a new structure. Ecoreef, by contrast, is designed to produce them. By increasing fish numbers and biomass while supporting coral recruitment and broader biodiversity, it functions as a productive ecosystem rather than just a fish aggregator.

This includes commercially important species, ie. the ones local fisheries depend on. Snappers, groupers, emperors, sweetlips, rabbitfish and more have all been recorded on the trial structures.

As Dr. Aaron Bartholomew put it: “Initial results have exceeded expectations, with strong early evidence of juvenile fish using the structures as refuge habitat. Ecoreef demonstrates how mooring blocks can be designed to deliver both operational performance and measurable ecological value.”

Dr. Philip Sanders, our aquatic ecologist and sustainability strategist, adds: “Ecoreef represents a new generation of underwater infrastructure. It goes beyond traditional anchoring systems to actively support marine ecosystem recovery and regeneration.”

Where Ecoreef works

Ecoreef works in ports, harbours, marinas, tourism resorts, aquaculture, solar installations and coastal developments. In short, anywhere a traditional mooring block would otherwise sit inert on the seabed. Additionally, manufacturing is split between the UK and UAE, supporting quality and delivery readiness for clients across the Middle East and Europe.

This is just the start

The Fujairah trial is ongoing. More monitoring dives, more data and more marine life to come. We’ll be sharing updates as the reef continues to develop, because the most exciting results are still ahead of us.

If you’re working on a coastal or marine project and want to know more, visit our Ecoreef page at: ecocoast.com/ecoreef.

Special thanks to Ally Landes from Emirates Diving Association (EDA) for the stunning underwater photography. 🙌

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