Port Atlantique La Rochelle, France’s 6th-largest cargo port, and A2D, an SME based in La Rochelle, have achieved an unprecedented technical feat: merging aerial data captured by drone and underwater bathymetric surveys from the Cassiopée launch into a single 3D model. This innovation enables complete monitoring of protective dikes, from the surface to the submerged foundations, saving the Port hundreds of thousands of euros by avoiding unnecessary work, thanks to a precise diagnosis of the actual condition of the entire structure.
A major challenge for coastal protection
Protective dykes are critical infrastructures for port and coastal safety. Their regular monitoring, both above and below water, represents a major technical and operational challenge. Traditional inspection methods are time-consuming, costly and expose crews to considerable risk, particularly in tidal areas.
The Port has initiated an innovative project combining bathymetric and photogrammetric acquisitions, tested on the monitoring of the Chef de Baie beach breakwater. The aim: to observe, analyze and measure the temporal evolution of riprap and automatically detect boulder movements.
Over and above the operational benefits, this solution is part of a responsible innovation approach. A2D has developed algorithms combining discrete geometry and frugal artificial intelligence, designed and developed in France, which optimize the consumption of computing resources and drastically reduce carbon footprints. The result is a solution that consumes few server resources, reduces the need for physical boat movements, and lowers the overall environmental impact of port surveillance.
The Port of La Rochelle postpones work thanks to an ultra-precise diagnosis
A2D has developed a solution that merges data from two complementary sources: underwater surveys by the Port’s hydrographic launch, and drone photos of land areas.
The process takes place in three stages: firstly, field data collection; secondly, automatic reconstruction of a 3D digital twin of the dike with no discontinuity between submerged and emergent zones; thirdly, automatic A2D Fast analysis, which in less than 24 hours draws up an exhaustive list of defects detected on the structure (cracks, displacement of riprap, scouring, disjointing). This digital cartography, accessible via A2D’s SaaS platform, enables Port managers to visualize each geolocated anomaly, classify it by criticality level and anticipate priority maintenance interventions.
“The time saved is immense, as teams no longer have to travel by boat to carry out large, time-consuming inspections, as the system only provides them with predefined alerts,” explains Bruno Baron, President of OIP Atlantique. “In view of the benefits brought by this tool, we’d like to extend this method to other masonry structures in the port, reinforced concrete structures, dike riprap, and there’s nothing stopping us from imagining inspecting the submarine base using an underwater drone!”
Pierre Loonis, founder of A2D, explains: “The continuity of 3D point clouds between bathymetry and photogrammetry was a real technical challenge. Our platform now enables structural changes to be tracked over time (Year 0, N+1, N+2…), transforming spot inspection into preventive monitoring.”
The financial impact is significant: thanks to this precise analysis of the dike’s condition, planned work has been postponed, saving the Port hundreds of thousands of euros while guaranteeing the safety of its infrastructures.
A strategic agreement for the future of the Atlantic seaboard
In September 2025, Port Atlantique La Rochelle and A2D formalized their partnership by signing an ambitious agreement structuring their collaboration. This agreement is much more than just a technical agreement: it lays the foundations for a new approach to monitoring maritime infrastructures along the Charente coastline. The demonstrator will be presented at the Assises de l’Économie de la Mer in La Rochelle on November 4 and 5, 2025, a major event bringing together national and international port players. The stated aim is to establish a reproducible methodological reference for all ports and communities on the Atlantic coast facing the same challenges in monitoring protection works.
About A2D
A2D, an SME based in La Rochelle specializing in inspection using artificial intelligence, develops infrastructure monitoring solutions combining data acquisition, 3D modeling and automatic anomaly detection.
Contact
Marketing and Communication Manager – Iris Texier – 06 33 51 50 10 – France iris.texier@a2d.ai