Fehmarnbelt immersed tunnel construction set for January 2021

Construction of the Fehmarnbelt immersed tunnel, connecting Denmark and Germany, is set to begin on January 01, 2021.

The 18-meter long Fehmarnbelt link will connect Rødbyhavn on Lolland and the German island of Fehmarn.

The Danish authorities have given the approval for the start of construction. The work on the German side is planned to begin by mid-2022.

Minister of Transport, Benny Engelbrecht said: “It is an historic decision the parties have made today to initiate the larger construction contracts and to initiate construction on the Danish side. We will soon be able to see the major construction work underway at Rødbyhavn. The Femern Belt link will be a new gateway to Europe and a new gateway to the green transport solutions of the future.“

Femern Belt entered into an agreement with the entrepreneurial consortium Fehmarn Belt Contractors (FBC) to construct a works port for the project.

Femern can now also proceed with the conditional contracts signed in May 2016 with the contractor consortium Femern Link Contractors (FLC).

Femern Link Contractors including VINCI Construction Grands Projets, Per Aarsleff Holding, Wayss & Freytag Ingenieurbau, Max Bögl Stiftung, CFE, Solétanche-Bachy International, BAM Infra and BAM International will build the tunnel and tunnel factory.

The tunnel elements will be cast in a factory built for the purpose east of Rødbyhavn on the Danish side. The contractors will therefore build the factory, cast the tunnel elements, sail them to the tunnel trench and immerse them into a tunnel trench under the seabed that will have been dug out in advance.

The tunnel element factory will to be able to start its production at the beginning of 2023. Launching and immersion of the first completed tunnel elements is expected to take place at the beginning of 2024. 

FLC is also in charge of building of portals and ramps where the traffic enters the tunnel.

In addition, dredging operations will take place with a trench in the seabed of the Fehmarnbelt. The trench will contain the tunnel elements, which will be just over 40 meters wide and up to 15 meters deep. This part of work will be conducted by Fehmarn Belt Contractors consortium including Boskalis International, HOCHTIEF Solutions, Ed. Züblin and Van Oord Dredging and Marine Contractors.

With the latest developments on the project, the Femernbelt tunnel is expected to open in mid-2029.

Femern negotiated with FLC about the possibility of starting work already in mid-2020, but due to Covid-19 pandemic the option for this has not proven feasible.

Coronavirus has caused delays and cancellations of multiple projects from the beginning of 2020. The virus has also impacted the life of many people, leaving them in the lockdown to prevent further spread of teh virus.

The direct impact of the virus on the Femernbelt will be seen as a delay in opening of the tunnel of up to six months later than expected.

However, it is possible to gain some of the time lost regarding those contracts not yet tendered for the installations in the tunnel. These works will be performed in the final stages of the construction process, Danish authorities said in the latest update.

Femernbelt project creates jobs

The project is expected to employ up to 3000 people during the construction, according to Femern website.

Minister of Transport, Benny Engelbrecht said: “Instead of awaiting the finalization of the German court process about the complaints to the German authorities, we are taking advantage of this time to initiate the construction work on the Danish side. This means that many new jobs will be created on Lolland, which in turn will help boost the economy.”

The new jobs will be created particularly in Denmark, but also in northern Germany.

There will be a need for engineers, electricians, mechanics, welders, sailors, ships’ captains and other maritime personnel, drivers, machine operators, plumbers, crane operators, cable workers, surveyors, administrative staff, etc.

Furthermore, the Femernbelt tunnel will be financed by its users together with financial support from the EU’s ‘Connecting Europe Facility’ (CEF), concerning the train infrastructure. Consequently, construction costs do not affect the Danish National Treasury and will not reduce the scope for investments in other infrastructure projects in Denmark.

The tunnel will shorten the travel time which will take ten minutes to travel from Denmark to Germany by car and seven minutes by train.