The CEO of the
main contractor, Femern Link Contractors, rejects that the Permanent Secretary
of the Danish Ministry of Transport has a sound basis for his assessment of the
Fehmarn Belt project. He writes that the case has not been adequately presented
to the Permanent Secretary, describes the situation as a governance crisis, and
points to the authorities’ trust in the state-owned company Sund & Bælt as
the greatest risk. The criticism comes in response to the Permanent Secretary’s
statement that the delays have raised concerns about whether the consortium is
able to complete the project.
This is evident from a freedom of information request that FemernBusiness has received from the Ministry of Transport.
The case concerns the Fehmarn Belt project, where the state developer Femern A/S under Sund & Bælt and the main contractor Fehmarn Link Contractors have been in a prolonged conflict over delays, causes, and finances. Fehmarn Link Contractors (FLC) is an international contractor consortium including VINCI Construction, Per Aarsleff, Max Bögl, CFE, DEME, BAM, and Solétanche-Bachy. FLC has filed a claim of 14.5 billion kroner, and there is also an international arbitration case regarding corona-related delays.
The correspondence begins on 19 November 2025, when FLC's CEO, Sébastien Bliaut, contacts the head of department Jacob Heinsen via LinkedIn with an invitation to meet. On 5 December, the head of department responds in an email, where he points out problems with the immersion vessel and writes that the delays have raised concerns about whether the consortium is capable of completing the project.
Four days later, on 9 December 2025, Sébastien Bliaut sends his response. He is the managing director of FLC and also a leader in VINCI Construction Grands Projets responsible for Central Europe, Northern Europe, and Benelux. Previously, he has worked on both the Øresund link and the Metro construction.
He begins by rejecting that the permanent secretary has a factual basis for his assessments.
“It is clear from your response to me that the matter is not well-informed for you,” writes Sébastien Bliaut.
The absence of dialogue and the multiplication of lawsuits will not bring the vessel closer to the goal
Sébastien Bliaut, director FLC
Has the political responsibility
Even though the Ministry of Transport is not a contracting party, he believes that the ministry, as the highest authority and advisor to the minister, has a responsibility to ensure that decisions are based on correct information.
“As a civil servant and the minister's chief advisor, you also know that there is a political responsibility for whether the matter is correctly informed. Choices and omissions must be based on correct information,” he writes.
At the same time, he challenges the permanent secretary's assessment of the immersion vessel. He acknowledges that the vessel is not yet ready but denies that it is the decisive bottleneck.
Here you can clearly see the irregularities in the tunnel trench.Foto fra statusrapporten/
“The fact is that our vessel is not ready yet for several different reasons. The fact is also that we are making progress and that the vessel cannot be considered the bottleneck, either in the short or long term,” he writes.
Increasing level of conflict
He also directs criticism towards what he describes as a level of conflict that in itself makes it more difficult to move forward.
“But if your main concern is about the vessel, you might want to consider alternative measures: the absence of dialogue and the multiplication of lawsuits will not bring the vessel closer to the goal,” writes Sébastien Bliaut.
Instead, he points to the tunnel trench as the central problem and links it to a broader criticism of the project's management.
“It is about a management crisis,” he writes.
Uncritical trust
Finally, he raises the criticism to a more general level and writes that FLC in a “closed circle” assesses that the greatest risk to the project is the authorities' trust in Sund & Bælt, the state-owned company that owns Femern A/S and is responsible for the state's major infrastructure projects, including the Fehmarn Belt connection.
“Our assessment, in this closed circle, is that the authorities' seemingly uncritical trust in Sund & Bælt A/S constitutes the greatest risk to the project,” writes Sébastien Bliaut.
Thus, Sébastien Bliaut points directly into the engine room of the Fehmarn construction.
The dispute between the client and the main contractor has been extensive for some time and has been conducted on several fronts simultaneously. It concerns both what is actually hindering the work in the phase where the tunnel elements are to be lowered, and the financial consequences of the delays and changes, which the parties each believe the other is responsible for.
Femern Link Contractors have not responded, and Sund & Bælt have no comments.
