As the Red Sea has grown in popularity with divers, snorkellers and other visitors, so has the number of private and commercial boats using these waters. Sadly, one of the biggest threats to the preservation of coral reefs is physical damage caused by anchors.

When boats attach their anchors to a reef, the action of attachment and the pressure on the chains caused by swell underwater can rip reefs apart and destroy delicate marine life. Mooring buoy systems can significantly reduce this damage and eliminate the need for anchoring on the reefs.

Since the early 1990s, HEPCA has been the instigator of more than 1000 moorings throughout the Red Sea, which has led to this project becoming the biggest mooring system in the world. A combination of private funding, donations and initiatives including a large contribution from USAID has raised the necessary finance to install and maintain the buoys, which consist of three elements: a permanent fixture on the sea bottom; a floating buoy on the water surface; and a connecting section between the two.

Two systems are currently in operation throughout the Red Sea – the Manta Ray and the Halas. HEPCA works alongside the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) to ensure that the buoys are correctly used.

LATEST NEWS 18/05/08:

The HEPCA mooring team recently completed the installation of 50 moorings in the Saudi Arabian Red Sea. Special thanks are due to the Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden (PERSGA), who worked together with us on Phase One of this project.

In addition to installation, HEPCA is providing a one year maintenance program, and a training scheme for boat skippers/captains on proper use of the moorings.

Continuing our policy of active technology transfer, HEPCA aims to spread the mooring culture throughout the Red Sea region including other parts of Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Yemen, Aqaba in Jordan, and Djibouti. We are very proud that HEPCA’s 15 years experience and knowledge in selecting, installing and maintaining mooring systems is now being transferred to neighboring countries.