The founder of the CLAS company was a professional diver when the first breakwater using ACCROPODE™ was built in Sète where he worked. He was the first and one of the only experts in the world in charge of the complete expertises of breakwaters built with ACCROPODE™ and which experienced major damage from 2000 to 2007. Since 2008 he has been working as an expert and consultant on the most major projects around the world using ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc ®, BS1, BS2, BS3 and others artificial block technologies.
The CLAS company now has breakwater construction specialists using ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc ®, BS1, BS2, BS3 and other artificial blocks technologies, which ensure a full-time presence on the projects.
Our inspectors have worked on the largest projects in the world such as RAS LAFFAN, KHALIFA PORT, BARAKAH NUCLEAR POWER PLANT, PUERTO MOIN, KUANTAN PORT and many other projects all over the world.
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This exclusive experience and the qualities of professional divers have given CLAS inspectors unique opportunities to observe the movements of blocks in water, to study their consequences and to understand the mechanisms of destruction.
From this exclusive experience based on the observation of blocks ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc ®, BS1, BS2, BS3 and others, in real conditions, and not only in the laboratory, allowed us to develop a ranking of the risks associated with non-conformities during construction. This study integrates the breakage of blocks following movements, which cannot be studied in the laboratory to date.
This assessment of the risks related to non-conformities was taken up and shared by Concrete Layer Innovation on ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ projects and by Delta Marine Construction on X-bloc® projects.
The Final Inspections reports, which are the final approval documents, are produced by CLAS in particular, both for the approval of the underlayer and for the approval of the armor:
Today, this expertise is required by project owners concerned with guaranteeing the sustainability of their structures, as it is now clear that “traditional” implementation without CLAS certification does not always allow these objectives to be achieved.
Level of risk | Action |
0 | No action |
1 | Isolated faut, repair or monitoring |
2 | Isolated fault but serious, repair |
3 |
Area not stable or group of faults, rebuilt |
These risk levels have been used on many international projects such as the new breakwater of the island of ZIRKU, the protective breakwaters of DAS ISLAND and the islands of ZAKUM in the UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, the breakwaters of PUERTO MOIN in COSTA RICA or here on the KUANTAN project in Malaysia:
Correct placement risk 0
Isolated interlocking fault risk 1: repair or monitor
Risk 2: Significant interlocking defect, risk of extraction but ACCROPODE ™ II isolated. Repair imperatively
Risk 3: ACCROPODE ™ II extracted from the armor by the swell, unstable zone. Rebuild the area.
Risk 3: The design profiles are not respected. The ACCROPODE ™ II descended into the slope.
Reconstruct the area while respecting market recommendations.
Since this table of risk levels exists, CLAS has never ceased to develop its criteria and its knowledge of destruction mechanics with regard to construction defects.
Evolution of unrepaired level 3 non-conformities
This risk classification table is still valid. The know-how which makes it possible to classify the non-conformities in each section is transmitted to the CLAS inspectors during their training within our company by the senior inspectors.
A CLASS A structure is a ACCROPODE™, ACCROPODE™II, ECOPODE™, CORELOC™ , X-bloc ®, BS1, BS2, BS3 armor presenting a zero risk level with regard to the care taken in its construction.
This is not a CLAS project This is a CLAS project
Our certification procedure and the associated risk analysis were implemented on the new Beirut Marina project, at the request of the client, the company SOLIDERE.
The works have been certified by CLAS: CLASS A BREAKWATER
The structures built and the ACCROPODE™ armors withstood the storm Loulou which generated a swell close to the project swell on December 26 2019 and the explosion of the port of Beirut on August 04 2020. The contradictory expertise carried out in September 2020 has confirmed that none of the ACCROPODE™ has moved, broken or disconnected.
We have put this expertise and this risk analysis at the service of the engineers and the client on the NRL project on Reunion Island, where we were able to provide information about the risks.