WHO ARE WE ?
CLAS is a completely independent company, specialized in the construction of dike armour using artificial concrete blocks such as ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™, X-bloc®, BS1, BS2, BS3 or others.
The ACCROPODE™II and ECOPODE™ brands in particular are the property of ARTELIA (marketed by Concrete Layer Innovations "CLI").
X-bloc® is a trademark of DELTA MARIN CONSULTANTS.
CORELOC™ is a trademark registered by the US Corp of Engineers (USA).
CLAS is completely independent of these companies, this independence is one of the keys to our success in the implementation of dike armour blocks.
CLAS provides world-renowned expertise and services. We do not sell any license, neither concerning the trademarks owned by ARTELIA and DELTA MARINE CONSULTANTS, nor concerning the use of patents attached to these blocks that have fallen into the public domain, attached to these blocks the ACCROPODE™ and ACCROPODE™II, the ECOPODE™ and more recently the X-bloc®, nor concerning the use of patents (which would still be in force on certain blocks).
CLAS is an evolution of the IDMer company.
The IDMer company was created in 2000 by French legal experts who put their skills at the service of the industry. From 2008, IDMer has specialized in dike shells using single-layer blocks of ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 or other type.
In 2015 IDMer became CLAS, the only company independent of the vendors of ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 or other licenses, specializing in the implementation of these blocks. With more than twenty years of experience and dozens of projects approved without reservations, delivered on time or even in advance, CLAS has solid references and exclusive know-how.
ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 blocks, or any other type of single-layer technology, are “sensitive” structures.
Sensitive does not mean fragile. It depends on the care taken in the construction and on the good understanding of the concepts of interlocking the blocks ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 or others.
The armour protections made of ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 or other blocks will therefore be solid and durable if they are carefully constructed and the project design is respected.
KUANTAN breakwater ACCROPODE™II certified CLASS A in December 2019 by CLAS
The breakwaters made with ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 or other blocks will be fragile and will require regular monitoring and repair works to avoid having significant damage or any simply begin to destroy themselves even before the end of construction, if they are built without due care and if the design of the project is not respected.
Armour protection being destructed ACCROPODE™ by slow disconnection of the blocks and small local settlements making a bad interlocking
Understanding the implementation and the concept of good interlocking of ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 or other blocks is not enough. It is vitally important to understand how to inspect ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 blocks and what to look for and how to do it. The objective of the inspection is to prove the correct interlocking, compliance with the rules and the stability of the armour constructed with the ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 blocks.
Test with the DIDSON camera inconclusive to assess the good interlocking of the ACCROPODE™
The companies that invented the ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 or other technologies mainly work in design offices and laboratories.
Companies that sell inspection tools for wharves, wrecks or oceanography are not aware of the constraints associated with ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 or others. Their objective is to sell equipment, so why not also to inspect blocks with complex shapes such as ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 or others? But this will not guarantee that the ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 blocks are correctly interlocked, that they will not break when moved by the swell and that the carapace of the breakwater will be stable and durable.
Multibeam image on ACCROPODE ™ II. The quality of interlocking cannot be assessed with sufficient certainty to guarantee that the ACCROPODE ™ II will not move and will not break or be extracted by the storm.
With 35 years of experience in the inspection of maritime works and more than 22 years devoted on one layer concrete blocks technologies like ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 to construction work, the founder of CLAS is legal expert in the French courts, we did arbitration on construction sites, consultants, builders, and international experts involved in the world's largest projects, generally full-time , the company CLAS which is the heir to the company IDMer, specializes in the implementation and certification of dikes built with technologies ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 or other. The CLAS company has positioned itself on the market for advice and support for companies and project owners and provides exclusive practical knowledge of the implementation and inspection of breakwtaers built with ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 or others.
Drone inspection on ACCROPODE™II
Our inspectors, experts, engineers, divers and specialists have worked on more than 30 projects implementing ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 or other blocks, in most cases by ensuring a presence at full time which gave us an exclusive knowledge of the difficult situations and risks to which companies and project owners are exposed using ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 or others. Some of these projects include several large structures such as the islands of ZAKUM in ABU DHABI implementing ACCROPODE™II and X-bloc® or the RAS LAFFAN site at QATAR implementing ACCROPODE ™ or the KUANTAN breakwater project in Malaysia implementing ACCROPODE™II, BARAKAH NUCLEAR POWER PLANT protection in ABU DHABI implementing CORELOC™.
The founder of CLAS acted as legal expert, international consultants, subcontractor for placement of ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 , we were sometimes assistants and trainers of Concrete Layer Innovations and we have been accredited by CLI, by courts and by project owners, on numerous projects implementing ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 or others through the world to train company staff or to certify the quality of work. We intervened to assess significant damage and guide repairs as on the island of DAS ISLAND where an armour protection of 5500 meters long using X-bloc® experienced significant damage before the end of the work, much of which was however approved by engineers and design offices. We added evidence that the poor interlocking and knowledge of the inspection tools used had caused settlements and breakages and we guided and supervised the repairs. Since then there are no more problems with the X-bloc® in DAS ISLAND.
CLAS is today the only independant company in the world specialized in the implementation of ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 or other blocks which has not experienced any damage on ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 armour protection whose placement or quality was accompanied or certified by CLAS.
How do we work?
We support you full time and integrate your teams as if your project was ours. We do not sell a service, we bring you our experience and practical solutions intended to achieve and even exceed your objectives.
We do not perform a task or a mission, we offer solutions, we study your procedures and we allow you to improve them taking into account the reality of the constraints related to the implementation of ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 or others, in real situations.
Do you have a sustainability objective for your ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 projects? We will show you that you can do even better and together we will do it in order to build a breakwater using ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 CLASS A .
Click on the link: Classification of breakwaters link
Do you have a target delivery date for your ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 armour protection ? We will prove to you that you can do even better than you had planned and together we will do it in order to build a breakwater using ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 CLASS A blocks faster and cheaper than you think, increasing your profit.
Permanent supervision of installation teams with educational interventions, safety control, installation assistance and inspections several times a day.
Click on the link: assistance for placement
Ceremony in KUANTAN for the installation of the last ACCROPODE™II and the delivery of the CLASS A BREAKWATER certificate
Click on the link: Our Trademark CLAS TECHNOLOGY COMPLIANT™
We are mobile and very responsive. We have a network of partners and collaborators within companies, design offices and universities which succeed and innovate. So we are not limited to our own staff, we use the best of the moment, wherever they are, to meet your specific need.
Do you have a production objective in the implementation of ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 or others? We will show you that you can do it even faster and together we will do it by placing more than 10 ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 approved blocks per hour, as standard and constantly after training your staff.
What we will not do is lie to you. ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 or others are sensitive technologies. These technologies have limits linked to the conditions of their implementation. If your quality or production objectives in the implementation of ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 blocks cannot be achieved because the inspection means do not allow it on your project , or because the sea conditions do not allow it on your project, we will tell you, we will explain to you why and together we will find a solution using means different from what you had planned.
IDMer and CLAS until today have never failed to build an ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 class A breakwater when the appropriate means and procedures were implemented.
CLAS has established the level of risk linked to non-compliance and defects in the installation of ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 blocks. This risk study is used worldwide today because it has proven its relevance.
CLAS has also established a classification of ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 breakwaters depending on the care taken in their construction. This classification could only be possible thanks to our 22 years of experience in the field and to the knowledge of the breaking mechanisms of ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 blocks are badly intertlocked and of the consequence of this break on the premature aging of the TACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 breakwaters.
ACCROPODE ™ armour protectionl which destroys prematurely
We explain the principles during the conferences and congresses in which we participate:
Conference at CASABLANCA to explain the classification and certification procedures for ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ and X-bloc® armour protection.
Click on the link: classification of breakwaters
It was essential to carry out this classification and this goes through the evaluation of the capacities of the technologies used to control the quality of the installation of ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 or other blocks. I would remind you that the job of companies that sell ECHOSCOPE®, multibeam sonars or POSIBLOC™ for example, is to sell equipment, not to build breakwaters using ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 .
Click on the link: evaluation of the placing tools
Why choose a CLAS certification to guarantee the durability of your ACCROPODE ™, ACCROPODE ™ II, ECOPODE ™, CORELOC ™ , BS1, BS2, BS3 and X-bloc ® breakwaters ?
Certification must be carried out by an independent company in order to avoid conflicts of interest. It is a fundamental and essential principle.
CLAS is independent of companies. We do not sell ACCROPODE ™, ACCROPODE ™ II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC ™ , BS1, BS2, BS3 and X-bloc ® or other licenses and we do not sell placing tools or inspection tools.
When we intervene within the framework of a voluntary certification requested by the company responsible for implementing the ACCROPODE ™, ACCROPODE ™ II, ECOPODE ™, CORELOC ™ , BS1, BS2, BS3 and X-bloc ® blocks, we specify in our contracts that we intervene on a completely independent base and the failure to respect our independence automatically leads to the breach of the contract. Despite this, our corporate clients recommend and come back to us to ensure the quality certification of the dyke shells using the ACCROPODE ™, ACCROPODE ™ II, ECOPODE ™, CORELOC ™ , BS1, BS2, BS3 and X-bloc ® blocks for which they are responsible.
Click on the link: clients testimonial
The means of inspection must be adapted and must operate in such a way as to guarantee that the objective is achieved.
We cannot implement means of controls without having evaluated them before. In fact, control and inspection tools must be able to provide the same response and the same information as an inspection carried out by divers in clear water or by inspectors above water. Unfortunately, the relative imprecision of these tools and the complex geometric shapes of the ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 blocks do not allow this in the same way. Local conditions such as swell or materials suspended in water and foam at the point of contact between water and the ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 blocks do not allow it not always. This is the reason why we do not believe what the advertisements presented by the sellers of the technologies used to assess the quality of the installation of the ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 say and we test their equipment in a real situation in order to know the possibilities and the limits.
Survey using the ECHOSCOPE : we cannot guarantee that the interlocking of Xbloc® is good based on such an image.
Our certification provides proof that the ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 blocks are correctly interlocked, which is essential.
Click on the link: importance of the interlocking
Risk analysis and understanding of the mechanics of slow or fast destruction are essential elements.
The study of the functioning of ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 or other blocks for more than 22 years, with a full-time presence on projects has given us an exclusive knowledge of movements and ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 breakwater destruction mechanics. We highlighted important differences between the knowledge drawn from the tests on models reduced to 2 dimensions and 3 dimensions and the knowledge drawn from the mechanics of breaking and destruction of the armour protection using ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 full size on and under water.
We are also fortunate to be close to breakwaters built with ACCROPODE™ and ACCROPODE™II, whose evolution we have followed for years.
Breakwater of Palavas built with ACCROPODE ™. Slow destruction mechanism ongoing.
Breakwater of Argeles built with ACCROPODE™. Slow destruction mechanism ongoing.
Breakwater of Palamos. Rapid destruction of part of the armour protection in ACCROPODE™
Cerbere armour protection built with ACCROPODE™II by CLAS inspectors. No problem found after 10 years.
2D model. Languedoc Roussillon region - Construction of the model for ACCROPODE™II.
The placement of blocks is done manually out of the water.
ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 blocks do not arise in the same way and do not evolve in the same way on and under water in reality. But in the laboratory they are always placed without water and during storm simulations in the laboratory non-conformities never break the ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 blocks or others, whereas in the the reality: badly interlocked ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 blocks can break when they move. Thus the destruction mechanisms linked to the breakage of the blocks are never studied in the laboratory, whereas for more than 22 years IDMer and then CLAS analyzed and studied them to establish the risk levels used to certify the quality of the installation and prevent destruction consequences of the breakage of ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 blocks.
Breakage of ACCROPODE™ during construction which was the subject of an expert assessment by IDMer inspectors in 2008. The cause was a poor interlocking underwater which led to the extraction of two ACCROPODE™ then the ACCROPODE™ placed above the water collapsed.
This is the reason why there is no AACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 or other armour protection installed with the accompaniment of CLAS or certified by CLAS which require repairs.
We cannot do a certification which would be limited to noting that the ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , BS1, BS2, BS3 and X-bloc® or other blocks are installed according to the rules contained in the license. Respect for design must be checked.
Our certification is not limited to the study of the interlocking of ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 or other blocks. We intervene at each stage of the construction of the breakwater and certify that the design is respected and not only the placement of ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 blocks or other.
Failure to respect the design can lead to the armour blocks ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 or other breaking and extracting, or worse the armour protection collapsing, while the blocks are well laid. How to prove it after the disaster ? It's very difficult !
On this project the contractor was going to place ACCROPODE™II directly on the core, without building the underlay provided in the design. The multibeam survey confirmed the good construction ! Without CLAS diving inspection it should be not possible to identify the problem and the big risk.
This is why we certify not only the correct implementation and the correct interlocking of ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 or other blocks, but also respect for design.
Failure to check and certify compliance with the design is an error which can have serious consequences.
Why choose CLAS to guarantee the deadlines in the construction of dykes using ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , BS1, BS2, BS3 and X-bloc® or other blocks?
Timing targets are essential for the operator of the industrial structure or port, but also for the contractors, which does not have to face very heavy late penalties.
CLAS works alongside you full time and throughout the working day. We never stop the site and don't delay it. We do not inspect ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 or other blocks placed once a day, or weekly or monthly, we inspect them several times a day so as never to order major dismantling which is the main cause of delays. We never dismantle the ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 or other armour blocks, we simply rectify the errors when they occur, so we only need to replace one or two ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 and not dismantle hundreds or thousands as we see on projects where we were not responsible for assisting with construction.
Disassembly area of 200 ACCROPODE™II installed without the presence of CLAS inspectors, to repair non-conformities endangering the stability of the ACCROPODE™ I armour protection.
With more than a million blocks installed, appraised or repaired, spread over more than thirty projects around the world, CLAS is currently the only specialized company that accompanies you full-time for the implementation and certification of breakwaters using ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , BS1, BS2, BS3 and X-bloc® or other blocks.
CLAS ensures the work of inspections, advice, training of personnel including safety and professional divers, analyzes and adapts the HSE and QAQC procedures, analyzes and adapts the construction and implementation procedures on all projects using ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc® , BS1, BS2, BS3 or other technologies to bring you safety, quality and high production when we work alongside the contractor.
We guarantee the best level of quality and high production when we work alongside the Client.
Partner website: www.clasexpertise.com