CSR Report 2018

CSR 2018 – BOSKALIS 19

structures using material from local dredging projects, something Steenbrink points out could be included in future Boskalis projects.

The other advantage of the technology is its ability to match the underwater landscape. As inventor Enrico Dini explains, real reefs actually have quite textured, rough surfaces, to encourage the growth of marine flora and fauna. Unlike making a reef out of concrete, 3D printing can produce a similar rough surface and create tailored shapes with overhangs, undercuts and hiding places for marine creatures. This specific feature is something that particularly appeals to Patrice Francour, Professor at the University of Nice, and the marine ecology specialist who worked with Boskalis to design the pilot reef structure. The design Francour proposed – a mushroom-like shape with fingers pointing up – aimed to meet the needs of local marine life. In future, Francour speculates, it may even be possible to suggest a specific type or design of 3D printed reef aimed at supporting specific marine species: a link he hopes to explore further. The pilot reef is already bearing fruit – literally. Underwater photographs show that algae, worms and other invertebrate species have already made their home on the reef, and fish can be seen swimming in and around the structure. “We still need to quantify the results,” notes Boskalis’ R&D Director Sander Steenbrink, “but so far the development of the reef is really promising – it’s doing what we hoped it would do.” As well as the benefits for marine wildlife, 3D printing artificial reefs could advance larger environmental goals. Francour points out that the production of traditional artificial reefs made from concrete has a high carbon footprint, whereas 3D printing using local or natural materials is likely to produce far fewer carbon emissions. Steenbrink also notes how, with climate change causing coastlines to erode and coral reefs to degrade, 3D technology could create new structures that shore up natural ecosystems without further disrupting them. The next big challenge will be scaling up the technology and bringing down production costs, so that 3D printed reefs can become more widespread. In the meantime, Boskalis is planning further pilot projects in the North Sea, off the coast of Indonesia, and in the Caribbean Sea; all with a view to further testing how and where such reefs could be used. One leading environmental NGO has already begun implementing Boskalis’ 3D printed reefs as part of its programs. We see there is a demand for tailored, non invasive solutions that can encourage marine life to flourish. This is exactly what 3D printing reefs has the potential to do – so watch this space to follow a journey that is only just beginning.

“THE PILOT REEF IS ALREADY BEARING FRUIT – LITERALLY. UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHS SHOW THAT ALGAE,

WORMS AND OTHER INVERTEBRATE SPECIES HAVE ALREADY MADE THEIR HOME ON THE REEF, AND FISH CAN BE SEEN SWIMMING IN AND AROUND THE STRUCTURE” Sander Steenbrink Director Research and Development, Boskalis

This is where 3D printing – once the stuff of science fiction – comes into its own. In November 2017, six 3D printed artificial reef units were installed off the coast of Monaco, as part of a joint pilot project led by Boskalis, the Prince Albert II Foundation and the Monaco Association for Nature Protection (AMPN). This was made possible thanks to technology created by inventor Enrico Dini, whose D-Shape 3-D printer uses a layer-by-layer printing process to bind sand with a marine safe binder in order to create stone-like objects. Dini produced his first 3D printed reef in 2010, working with architect James Gardner and the Director of Sustainable Oceans International, David Lennon, to deliver a first prototype. While Dini and Gardner were honing their prototype, the idea of 3D printing artificial marine reefs was already on the table at Boskalis. R&D Director Sander Steenbrink explains the appeal of the technology as allowing the company to advance its sustainability efforts by reproducing “a complex process using natural materials.”

In fact, while the Monaco pilot reef was produced using inert Dolomite sand, it could ultimately be possible to produce such