SEACURE Markets - Activity Sectors

Weaknesses of traditional solutions

In response to this challenge, traditional coastal engineering structures (dikes, rock armour, breakwaters) are no longer suitable and are increasingly costly to maintain.

While they provide immediate protection against erosion and marine submersions, these rigid structures alter the natural dynamics of the coastline and often shift the problem to other unprotected areas. By preventing the natural circulation of sediments, they sometimes worsen downstream erosion and lead to long-term artificialization of coastal landscapes.

Furthermore, their costly maintenance and lack of adaptability to rising sea levels reduce their long-term effectiveness. As a result, these purely defensive approaches are increasingly inadequate compared to more sustainable and ecological solutions.

Towards alternative solutions

Alternative solutions, known as Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), better address the challenges of coastal protection and ecosystem restoration while being gentler and less expensive.

These solutions follow a logic of circular economy and regenerative coastal engineering, addressing current challenges in preserving and adapting affected territories.

SEACURE operates within this framework, with its GeoWave®, GeoShore®, and GeoSwell® solutions, offering an ecological and cost-effective alternative to traditional dikes and groins made of rock armour or concrete.

In port areas, this phenomenon is intensified by water movements generated by maritime traffic and by changes in sediment dynamics caused by the presence of the structures themselves.

Limits of traditional solutions

Traditional solutions used to combat scour in ports, such as concrete protections or stabilizing rock armour, now show significant limitations.

Indeed, while they can temporarily stabilize the seabed and protect structures against erosion, these rigid systems do not always address the complexity of hydro-sedimentary dynamics in port environments.

Their rigidity also makes it difficult for them to adapt to the natural morphological changes of the port.

Furthermore, the installation and maintenance of such structures carry significant economic and environmental costs.

Towards more sustainable alternative solutions

In this context, port clients are increasingly turning to alternative solutions that are more sustainable and flexible, involving innovative structures capable of dissipating current energy while preserving the natural balance of the environment.

More adaptable and environmentally friendly, these solutions are now developed as a complement or replacement for traditional structures. Anti-scour geotextile mats, one of the products developed by SEACURE, are part of these alternative solutions.

Current solutions  

Currently, few solutions exist to manage this scour issue at the base of the structure. Several solutions are under development at various stages of maturity, some still in the experimental phase. 

Traditional solutions based on rock armour (placement of rocks around the tower base to stabilize the substrate) and articulated concrete mats are costly and have a significant ecological impact. Solutions using geotextile mats or sandbags are more flexible but also more fragile.

SEACURE solution: Anti-scour mats covered with GEOCORAIL®

In this context, SEACURE proposes using its GeoSeabed® solution by placing sand-filled geotextile mats around the base of the structure, where the wind turbine tower penetrates the substrate. 

By polarizing these mats, the geotextile surface is coated with a layer of GEOCORAIL® which protects the structure from external aggressions, reinforces it, and promotes the regeneration of marine biodiversity, effectively transforming the base of the wind turbine tower into an artificial reef.

Weaknesses of traditional solutions  

Traditional reefs, often made of concrete blocks or submerged rocks, have limitations in terms of attractiveness to marine fauna and flora, offering only limited ecological benefits. 

Bare concrete structures, being too smooth and not structurally complex, are not conducive to the settlement of certain species essential for developing biodiversity hotspots. They offer little structural complexity and host fewer species than “living” or bio-inspired reefs, limiting their role in marine biodiversity regeneration.

SEACURE solution: GeoReef®

SEACURE designs, develops, and installs custom artificial reefs, adapted to each site and configuration. 

Based on a core steel structure, which can take various forms according to requirements, SEACURE reefs are designed to optimize colonizable surface area through structural complexity that increases shelter volume for post-larvae and juveniles, protecting them from predators. 

These reefs are also coated with GEOCORAIL®, which protects the structure from corrosion, ensuring durability. Thanks to its biomimetic appearance and calcomagnesian composition, GEOCORAIL® promotes algal colonization and settlement by sessile organisms such as sponges, ascidians, bryozoans, as well as by mobile (benthic) organisms.