Berth - Definition and Overview

An illustration of a mooring

A mooring (also moorage) strictly speaking, refers to any device used to hold secure an object by means of cables, anchors, or lines though most often it is specifically a device to which a boat can attach so that it can remain in the same position. The boat is then moored.

A mooring is typically a heavy object located on the sea bed with a rope or cable going to the surface where a float makes it possible to pick it up from a boat.

Example: On The Great Barrier Reef off the Australian coast, a vast number of public moorings are set out in popular areas where boats can moor. This is to avoid the massive damage that would be caused by anchoring in the same spot.

On inland waterways, boats can moor against mooring posts or rings along the riverbank or towpath.

Moorage can also refer to the act of keeping a boat moored in a marina, with a daily or monthly fee paid for occupying a berth of a given size.