NL1043243B1

NL1043243B1 - A structure for a substrate rehabilitation system in the marine environment

Info

Publication number: NL1043243B1
Application number: NL1043243A
Authority: NL
Inventors: Gerald Goeden Dr
Original assignee: Fizzy Transition Ventures B V
Priority date: 2019-04-26
Filing date: 2019-04-26
Publication date: 2020-11-02

Abstract

A STRUCTURE FOR A SUBSTRATE REHABILITATION SYSTEM IN THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT The present invention relates to a structure for a substrate 5 rehabilitation system in the marine environment (1) capable of absorbing wave energies as well as creating new or additional environments for marine organisms, particularly coral reefs. The structure for a substrate rehabilitation system in the marine environment (1) according to the present invention comprising, at least one platform (100), at least one recess (103) on 10 the platform (100), at least a connecting means (105) connected to the surface of the platform (100), at least a substantially vertical extension (107) may be infixed in said recess (103), wherein said platform (100) and said vertical extension (107) are a substrate (100). (The most illustrative figure is FIG. 1) 15 1043243

Description

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A STRUCTURE FOR A SUBSTRATE REHABILITATION SYSTEM IN THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT

1. TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a structure for a substrate $ rehabilitation system in the marine environment capable of absorbing wave energies as well as creating new or additional environments for marine organisms, particularly coral reefs. The structure according to the present invention comprising, at least one platform, at least a recess on the platform, at least a connecting means connected to the surface of the platform, at least a substantially vertical extension may be infixed in said recess, wherein said platform and said vertical extension is a substrate. a BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Coral reefs serve as an effective first line of defense to incoming waves, storms and rising seas, as well as providing essential habitat for many species. However, climate change and human activities have threatened the health and life of coral reefs. Research shows that coral reefs absorb an average up to 97 percent of wave energy and their loss coupled with gradually rising sea level and tropical cyclones further exacerbate coastal erosion and tidal inundation. Many coastal and island communities have also placed great pressure on coastal fisheries. Falling fish stocks have led many fishermen to resort to explosives and chemicals to catch the last dwindling numbers. The use of fishing gears has also inflicted serious physical damage to coral reefs, seagrass beds, and other important marine habitats.

A variety of structures have been built to protect shorelines by either absorbing wave energy or holding substrates in place by covering them. Examples of these inventions include Vita, L., US3380253 a six-prolonged jack arrangement, Schaaf et. al, US4367978 a perforated wall arrangement, Atkinson et, al, US5174681 a “comb” arrangement, and Holmberg, DL US4690585 a mat arrangement. These devices are strictly “defensive” in nature and do not assist in returning the environment to its natural state; in fact, they exacerbate the problems associated with habitat alteration and falling biodiversity.

Some structures, for example Engler, E., US6896445 stackable triangular boxes and also Barber et. al, US5564369A Reef Ball, a hollow “spheroid”, claim internal spaces as potential fish habitat but do not have surfaces that encourage coral regrowth. Although Walter D, US7513711 includes some limestone surface for coral regrowth, there are no means of conveniently and economically transplanting corals to its surface nor is there a means of replacing these transplants should they perish. In other cases, the transplantation of corals has been a slow and expensive task requiring fixing of pins into the reef, drilling holes, and/or applying underwater adhesives. Examples are Sakuse et. al, JP5527653B2 which describes several methods involving adhesives and limestone blocks, Sakuse, N. et, al, JP2013165693A which describes a wire mesh to hold coral colonies in place on the substrate, and Aota, T. et. al. JP2005151815A which describes a method of placing waterproof concrete into holes in the reef and then inserting the living corals into the uncured concrete. In each case, there are no opportunities to easily replace damaged or dying corals following transplantation and the process of covering large areas quickly and economically is unachievable.

Other structures such as, Engler, E., US6896445 and Mendoza et. al, MX2016014663A are not of sufficient weight, strong storms can carry the structure from its intended location to where it may cause more harm than good damaging existing natural reefs. These structures are modular in design and will not be resistant to heavy wave action as generated by a typhoon. Seasonally strong waves can overturn coral rubble and destroy newly recruited coral colonies each year. Similarly, corals produced in nurseries cannot be successfully anchored in the unstable seabed.

Scientists are divided on the use of certain materials for the creation of these underwater structures. Kim Min Suk et. al, KR101708685B1 and Shim Jae Seol et. al, KR101266152B1 present structures that are made of heavy metals which may contain toxic materials that can leach. Additionally,

metals are generally unsuitable materials for long term coral growth due to corrosion and rapid deterioration in water. Further, there are numerous examples of environmental damage and pollution caused through the construction/ deployment of earlier structures. This is particularly so in cases requiring very large lifting equipment or complex underwater assembly by numerous divers or in situations where wave action has swept the structures ashore.

The above shortcomings are alleviated by having an easily deployed interlinking structure of great stability that incorporates efficient transplanting methods for numerous species of marine life as well as a means of continued replanting and rehabilitation.

3. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is the primary aim of the present invention to provide a structure for a substrate rehabilitation system in the marine environment. It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a structure for a substrate rehabilitation system in the marine environment that is a coral reef rehabilitation substrate for high energy environments.

It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a structure for a substrate rehabilitation system in the marine environment which can be placed on site conveniently without damaging existing coral reefs or other marine habitats.

It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a structure for a substrate rehabilitation system in the marine environment 5 which is able to resist typhoon generated waves and to absorb or reduce normally occurring wave energy.

It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a structure for a substrate rehabilitation system in the marine environment to facilitate the transplantation of coral reefs and other marine organisms.

It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a structure for a substrate rehabilitation system in the marine environment of physically damaged coral reefs.

It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a structure for a substrate rehabilitation system in the marine environment to promote the rapid recovery of coral communities.

It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a structure for a substrate rehabilitation system in the marine environment to be inter-locked with numerous units to be placed on large areas.

It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a structure for a substrate rehabilitation system in the marine environment which is extraordinarily stable due to its profile, mass and very low center of gravity. Additional objects of the invention will become apparent with an understanding of the following detailed description of the invention or upon employment of the invention in actual practice. According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention the following is provided: A structure for a substrate rehabilitation system in the marine environment, comprising: at least one platform; and at least one recess on the platform; at least one connecting means connected to at least one side of the platform; characterized in that the platform is a substrate.

4. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS :

Other aspects of the present invention and their advantages will be discerned after studying the Detailed Description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: FIG, 1-A illustrates the exemplary cross-sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1-B illustrates the exemplary cross-sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention infixed with at least one substantially vertical extension.

FIG. 1-C illustrates the exemplary cross-sectional view of the present invention comprising at least one recess formed in different size and shape.

FIG. 2 illustrates the exemplary cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the present invention. | FIG. 3-A to 3-C illustrate the exemplary cross-sectional views of the embodiments of the present invention capable to be interlinked to each other.

FIG. 3-D illustrates the example of how FIG 3-A to 3-C are being interlinked.

FIG. 4-A illustrates how the embodiments of the present invention are further stabilized. FIG. 4-B illustrates another method of the interlinking arrangement.

FIG. 5-A illustrates an example of the embodiments of the present invention being interlinked or being assembled from an oblique point of view. (The links are now included in the drawings.) FIG. 5-B illustrates an example of the present invention forming a chain or network over large areas.

FIG. 6-A and 6-B illustrate the example of the present invention being prepared for deployment.

5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be understood by the person having ordinary skill in the art that the invention may be practised without these specific details. In other instances, well known methods, procedures and/or components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the invention.

The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of the embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are not drawn to scale.

As used in this disclosure and the appended claims herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates or denotes otherwise.

Throughout the disclosure and claims of this specification, the word “comprise” and variations of the word, such as “comprising” and “comprises,” means “including but not limited to,” and is not intended to exclude, for example, other components, integers or steps. “Exemplary” means “an example of” and is not intended to convey an indication of a preferred or ideal embodiment, “such as” is not used in a restrictive sense,

but for explanatory purposes.

FIG. 1-A illustrates the preferred embodiment of the invention.

There is shown a structure for a substrate rehabilitation system in the marine environment (1) comprising at least one platform (100), at least one recess (103) on the platform and at least one connecting means (10%) connected to at least one side of the platform (100), wherein said platform (100) is a substrate (100). FIG. 1-B further illustrates that at least one substantial vertical extension (107) may be infixed in the said recess (103) on the platform (100), wherein said vertical extension (107) is also a substrate (100). The substrate (100) refers to any structure that is deliberately placed on the seabed to cover or replace the naturally occurring sediments and upon which sessile organism become attached.

It also refers to an underlying substance or layer wherein the surface or material on or from which an organism lives, grows, or obtains its nourishment.

The sediments refer to a wide range of naturally occurring materials that comprise the seabed in a particular location.

Sediments are generally particulate ranging from fine silts to rubble but include here, to avoid ambiguity, extensive areas of rocky materials.

The said vertical extension (107) includes but is not limited to walls, poles, pillars, paling or any other similar vertical extension (107) or combination thereof.

The said vertical extension (107) is used to absorb wave energies and for the purpose of coral attachment, coral rehabilitation and coral transplantation and may provide habitats for other marine organisms.

It is also designed to reduce hydrodynamic energy downstream of said structure (1). The height of the said vertical extension (107) is adjustable depending on the | depth of water and wave energy.

The structure for a substrate rehabilitation system in the marine environment {1} can be placed in shallow water or deep water.

Preferably, the height of said vertical extension (107) is in the range of 0.25 meter to 2.0 meters.

When said vertical extension (107) is snugly fitted in the said recess (103), the space (109) is left open between said vertical extension (107) and an adjacent iS extension (107) which in combination act to absorb wave energies and for the purpose of coral attachment, coral rehabilitation and coral transplantation may provide habitats for other marine organisms.

In addition, the reduction of wave energy by the structure (1) can cause the deposition of sand along beaches.

The said recess (103) includes but is not limited to a hole, groove or combination thereof.

The said recess (103) may be a specially shaped hole that takes coral transplants from a coral nursery which may be used to rehabilitate coral reefs and allow coral transplanting from nursery stock or from other living colonies.

Said recess (103) allows easy replacement of damaged or bleached corals on a large scale.

The terms “coral nursery” or “nursery stock” refer to the small pieces of coral being propagated and grown under specific conditions as a coral nursery.

Large numbers of these small pieces constitute the stock of a coral nursery.

Once they become firmly attached to a rigid base, they can be transplanted to less sheltered environments.

Each of the said recesses (103) on the structure (1) is not bound to any particular size, shape, or depth.

As illustrated in Fig 1-C the size, shape or depth of each recess (103) may be varied to meet the specific needs of each situation.

The shape of each recess (103) may be regular or irregular.

The small recess can be a semi-random pattern and at least 5 times deeper than their width, while the large recess is wider than the smaller recess but may or may not be deeper than the small recess depending on the needs.

Said structure for a substrate rehabilitation system in the marine environment (1) illustrated in Fig 1 can be used under conditions of low or high wave energies depending on the height and size of the structure and also depending on the depth of water.

In particular, the structure (1) without vertical extensions (107) is better suited to the rehabilitation of coral reef areas with lower wave energies whereas the structure (1) with vertical extensions (107) infixing into the recess (103) is better suited to the rehabilitation of coral reef areas with higher wave energies, Referring to Fig 2, there is shown an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

The structure for a substrate rehabilitation system in the marine environment (2), comprising at least one platform (100), at least one substantially vertical extension (107) protruding from the platform (100) and at least one connecting means (105) connected to at least one side of the platform (100), wherein said platform (100) is a substrate (100). The said vertical extension (107) protruding from the platform (100) is also a substrate (100). The said vertical extension (107) is one single piece with the platform (100) and does not require said recess (103). Said vertical extension (107) is used to absorb wave energies through the creation of eddies and for the purpose of coral attachment, coral rehabilitation and coral transplantation and may provide habitats for other marine organisms.

In addition, it can stabilize the surrounding substrates (100) and cause the deposition of sand along beaches.

Said vertical extension (107) includes but is not limited to walls, poles, pillars, paling, or any other similar substantially vertical extension (107) or combinations thereof.

The IS height of said vertical extension (107) can be adjusted depending on wave energy.

Said structure (2) can be placed in shallow water or deep water.

Generally, the height of said vertical extension (107) is in the range of 0.25 meter to 2.0 meters.

Said structure for a substrate rehabilitation system in the marine environment (2) illustrated in Fig 2 can be used under conditions of low or high wave energies depending on the height or size of the structure.

The substrate (100) as mentioned in this document is created through 3-D inclusion casting or manually depending on production requirements to provide a complex surface texture.

This is a special means of creating a highly 3-dimensional surface of heterogeneous composition.

In low technology locales or for small production runs, this is achievable through manual labour and a specially fabricated mould.

Where larger production runs are required, this is achieved economically through large scale 3-D printing.

The substrate (100) being cast through 3-D printing/ manually is highly textured providing suitable space for a wide variety of marine organisms.

A laminated covering combining a number of materials is designed to greatly increase the biodiversity and populations of sessile marine organisms while improving their attachment rates and horizontal growth rates.

The substrate (100) can be produced in several sizes with small variations in configuration to comply with engineering requirements for a particular environment.

The intention of the 3-D inclusion casting is to create an essentially random surface with an extremely large surface area.

Openings or recesses {103} created are of sizes appropriate to small marine organisms.

The synthetic surface is a laminated structure incorporating recycled or waste materials, pH modifiers, growth promoters, and binding components specific to particular sessile marine communities.

Larger structures incorporate reinforcing and the synthetic surface can be prepared in different thicknesses and compositions.

The nature of the invention is not limited by the characteristics of the illustrated synthetic surface.

The structure (1,2) as illustrated in this document may be used as single or multiple units that can be interlocked or interlinked.

Referring to

Fig. 3, multiple structures for a substrate rehabilitation system in the marine environment (1,2) as mentioned in this document can be interlinked with each other via said at least one connecting means (105). By having this, the plurality of said structures (1,2) can be interlocked, interlinked or interconnected over large areas preventing movement during typhoon force waves, Additionally, hard and soft corals, oysters and other marine organisms are readily transplanted onto the surface from nursery stock without the use of adhesive.

The structure (1) comprised of said recess (103) with or without said vertical extensions (107) may be interlinked with the structure (2) having said vertical extensions (107) and vice versa as illustrated in Fig 3-A, 3-B and 3-C.

The hinge system as one of the said connecting means (105) can be closed by bending or folding it to the top surface of the substrate (100) as illustrated in Fig. 3-D.

The said connecting means (105) mentioned in this document includes but is not limited to shackles, bolting, hinging, looping or combinations thereof or any other similar connecting means (105). The structure (1,2) as described in this document is more commonly used as multiple units, however if said structure (1,2) is intended to be used as a single unit, at least one holding means (111) can be inserted through said connecting means (105)

onto the ground, to reinforce the stability of the said structure (1,2) as illustrated in Figure 4-A.

The said holding means (111) includes but is not limited to driving pins, skewers, or the like, or combinations thereof. Referring to Fig. 4-B, the said holding means (111) can also be used to insert into the connecting means to lock, link and or connect the structures (1.2).

3 Referring now to Figure. 5-A, there is shown an example of the overall framework of multiple pieces of said structure (1,2) being formed into a single complete unit (3) or in a fully assembled form via said connecting means (105), particularly a hinge system. An example of structure (1,2) can be a central disc (601) or arm (603). This “star-shape” configuration illustrates the hinge arrangement wherein the arms (603) radiate from the central disc (601) via said connecting means (105) functioning as a hinge system. The hinge system as one of the said connecting means {105} is closed by bending or folding it to the top surface of the substrate (100) which is illustrated in Fig. 3-D. The relationship of the size of the arms (603) to the size of the central disc (601) as well as their individual dimensions and other embodiments may vary according to engineering requirements based on the nature of sediments and/or wave energy. In this illustration, the central disc (601) is a five-sided polygon or pentagon in plan-view and the arms (603) which radiate from it may be rectangular to triangular in planview depending on engineering requirements. However, the structure (1,2) and the single complete unit (3) as mentioned in this document, are not bound by any particular shape, size or configuration or framework illustrated in the accompanied drawings. The shape of said structure (1,2} may be regular or irregular. Said structure (1,2) can be a polygon or having plane shape in plan-view. Said structure (1,2) may be formed in various shapes such as diamond, star, triangle, rectangle, rhombus, square or trapezoid or a shape with at least 3 sides. Furthermore, the surface of said structure (1,2) having inter- linked to the surface of another structure (1,2) has similar height, length or combinations thereof. Said structure (1,2) can be produced in several sizes and with small variations in configuration to comply with engineering requirements for a particular environment.

As mentioned above, the structure (1) having said recess (103) with or without said vertical extensions (107) may be interlinked with the structure (2) having said vertical extension (107) and vice versa via said connecting means (105). With this arrangement, said single complete unit (3) may be a combination of multiple structures (1) having said recess (103) with or without said vertical extensions (107) and structures (2) having said vertical extensions (107); or it can be a combination of only multiple structures {1} having said recess (103) with or without said vertical extensions (107); or it can be a combination of only multiple structures (2) having said vertical extensions (107). Said “star-shape” configuration or single complete unit (3) is more commonly used as multiple units, however if said complete unit (3) is intended to be used as a single unit, at least one holding means (111) can be inserted through said connecting means (105) onto the ground, to further increase the stability of the said structure (1,2), which is illustrated in Figure 4-A.

Multiple said complete units (3) can be further interconnected via said connecting means (105) along the areas of hundreds to many thousands of square meters of the floor of an ocean, bay, or in the marine environment. As illustrated in Figure 5-B, multiple said complete units (3) are interlinked, interlocked, or interconnected to form a chain or network over large areas preventing movement during typhoon force waves. Additionally, hard and soft corals, oysters and other marine organisms are readily transplanted onto the surface from nursery stock without the use of adhesive. The connection or interlinking arrangement between said multiple complete units (3) can be achieved via said connecting means (105) or by inserting said holding means (111) through the said connecting means (105) into the ground, to link, lock or connect them together, which is already illustrated in Figure 4-B.

Referring to FIG. 6-A and 6-B, there is shown an illustration of how the structure (1,2) can be deployed into the water conveniently. Here, the arms (603) which radiate from the central disc (601) at a deployed position can be folded or hinged upwards to form the single complete unit (3) into a pentagonal pyramid shape for lifting and launching purposes. The apex of the pyramid or said single complete unit (3), comprising the connecting means (105) of each arm can then be lifted for deployment. The structure

({L2} can be launched from a vessel by crane in a single complete unit {3} and in a fully assembled form.

Alternatively, the structure (1,2) can be made on shore and launched in pieces to be easily and safely assembled in water.

The shore-based deployment procedure of said structure (1,2) does not require crews in multiple ships working on the water, hence operations are greatly simplified and costs reduced.

This allows the invention to be readily assembled in shallow water by unskilled labour.

The complete disclosure of the present invention has introduced a means of quickly reintroducing corals to a damaged reef or coastal area through the use of specially designed substrates (100). In areas where corals have perished through bleaching, there are usually few natural, stable structures to which young replacement corals can be attached through the usual slow and time-consuming process of drilling holes and/or using adhesives.

Where reefs have been fished with destructive fishing methods and sediments have been reduced to small pieces/ gravel it is necessary to introduce the said substrate (100) that is adequately stable and heavy to allow coral recovery.

It is claimed that the effective area of stabilization, while dependent on the wave energy enviromment for each specific case, is of the order of 100-200m? per substrate (100). This invention provides the means of quickly reintroducing corals within these large areas of stabilized shallow water environment without the need for adhesives.

For example, a project with about 50 of said complete units (3) could begin the rehabilitation of a hectare of reef through the introduction i9 of 500 to 1000 corals and the stabilization of the sediments between the arms for further colonization. A single nursery of about 30 meters diameter might be able to produce about 5000 small corals per year, therefore, this project could rehabilitate 5-10 hectares per year per nursery. This could § suit a government or company CSR initiative for marine parks, tourist areas, villages etc.

Secondly, a means of easily replacing the unsuccessful transplantation of damaged coral colonies to coral reef rehabilitation areas is introduced. It is known that some proportion of transplanted corals die through natural mortality. Where these rates are unexpectedly high due to a coral bleaching event, it is a claim of this invention that colonies can be quickly replaced in the water without the need for drilling and/or adhesives. This is particularly beneficial in areas dependent on tourism or fishing since corals are generally very slow growing and areas of coral reef can take many years to recover.

Thirdly, the present invention is capable to stabilize large areas of sediments as a means of promoting the natural regrowth of sessile marine organisms. The profile of the arms (603) creates a downstream low energy “shadow” by increasing the boundary layer. Boundary layer means, in the art of fluid mechanics, the thin layer of flowing water subjected to shearing forces near the surface of an object. Boundary layers which become thicker and more turbulent at the trailing edge of an object result in drag and reduction in the energy of the flowing water. A larger boundary layer greatly reduces the tendency of sediments to be lifted from the bottom resulting in a lower mortality rate of recruited sessile organisms and hence a faster recovery of and return to the earlier community. The low wave reflectivity of the invention reduces upstream erosion usually associated with hard vertical surfaces.

Fourthly, the present invention is capable of absorbing wave energy adjacent to coastal areas thus reducing erosion and improving the deposition of finer beach material. For high wave energy areas, water passing through the vertical extensions {107) of the arms is forced to change direction and form significant vertically oriented eddies behind said vertical extensions (107). The profile of said vertical extensions (107) and their placement on the radiating arms ensures their effectiveness regardless of the direction of current flow and the symmetry of the design is deals equally with waves from all directions. The usual circular motion of water movement in waves passing over the invention is altered by this invention’s drag thus separating the deeper wave movement from the shallower wave movement and causing the wave to break and lose energy therefore depositing suspended sediments.

Additionally, the present invention greatly increases the biodiversity of the sessile marine community in the close vicinity of coral transplants to assist with coral health. This is achieved through the ecological or trophic interactions of a wide variety of fishes and small invertebrates recruited to the highly textured synthetic surface. Small fishes in particular are known to deposit wastes on corals and these in turn provide the corals with nutritional benefits and it is known in the field that fishes are attracted to these biodiverse communities.

Last but not least, the surfaces and design of said structure (1,2) encourage rapid coral growth leading to the eventual transformation of the invention into a natural marine community.

While the present invention has been shown and described herein in what are considered to be the preferred embodiments thereof, illustrating the results and advantages over the prior art obtained through the present invention, the invention is not limited to those specific embodiments. Thus, the forms of the invention shown and described herein are to be taken as illustrative only and other embodiments may be selected without departing from the scope of the present invention, as set forth in the claims appended hereto. The scope of the invention encompasses numerous alternatives, modifications and the equivalents. Of necessity, there are many alternative ways of configuring and implementing the invention to suit particular installations and environments while providing biological outcomes of differing design.

Claims

CONCLUSIONS:

A structure for a substrate recovery system in the marine environment (1), comprising: at least one platform (100); and at least one recess (103) in the platform; and at least one coupling means (105) coupled to at least one side of the platform; characterized in that the platform (100) is a substrate (100).

The marine substrate repair system structure (1) according to claim 1, wherein at least one substantially vertical extension (107) is mounted in said recess (103).

A structure for a substrate recovery system in the marine environment (2), comprising: at least one platform (100); and at least one substantially vertical extension (107) protruding from the platform (100); and at least one coupling means (105) coupled to at least one side of the platform (100); characterized in that the platform (100) is a substrate (100).

The structure for a marine substrate repair system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said recess (103) includes an opening, slot or combination thereof.

The structure for a marine substrate repair system (1, 2) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein said at least one substantially vertical extension (107) includes walls, posts, pillars, fence, or any other similar substantially vertical extension.

The structure for a marine substrate repair system (1, 2) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said at least one coupling means (105) includes link, bolts, hinges, loops or some similar coupling means.

The structure for a marine substrate repair system (1, 2) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one retaining means (111) is to be introduced into said at least one coupling means (105).

The structure for a marine substrate repair system (1, 2) according to claim 7, wherein said at least one retaining means (111) includes a float, spike, pin, or any other similar retaining means.

The structure for a marine substrate recovery system (1, 2) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the height of said at least one substantially vertical extension (107) is in the range between 0.25 meters and

2.0 meters is dependent on wave energy and the water depth.

The structure for a marine substrate repair system (1, 2) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said structure (1, 2) is a polygon or planar shape in plan view.

The structure for a marine substrate repair system (1, 2) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a plurality of said structures (1, 2) are connectable together via said at least one coupling means (105).

The structure for a marine substrate repair system (1, 2) according to claim 11, wherein the surface of the structure (1, 2) connected to the surface of another structure (1, 2) is of comparable height, length or combination. has.