The first of 89 concrete tunnel elements for the Fehmarn Belt tunnel has now left the tunnel factory in Rødbyhavn and is ready to be lowered into the 18-kilometre tunnel trench.
The operation marks a decisive step into the phase that has long been considered the most critical for the entire project. The immersion of the tunnel elements has been hit by delays, technical challenges and disagreements between the client and the main contractor, Femern Link Contractors.
The journey from the tunnel factory to the immersion site off the tunnel portal at Rødbyhavn is around two kilometres. The element left the work harbour at around 8 pm on Monday and was slowly towed into position by tugboats and the special vessel IVY, which will be used for the immersion itself.
After leaving port, the element was towed to the area where it is to be lowered into the tunnel trench. But the immersion has now been postponed. According to TV2 ØST, Andrew Crone-Langkjær, press consultant at Sund & Bælt, said weather conditions on Wednesday morning made it impossible to place the element on the seabed. A new attempt is expected on Wednesday evening and during the night to Thursday, when conditions are forecast to improve. The delay underlines how sensitive the operation is to wind, currents and weather conditions in the Belt.
The element is 217 metres long and 42 metres wide. It consists of five tubes: two for motorway traffic, two for railway traffic and one service tube for technical installations. When lowered, the element must be placed in the prepared trench on the seabed in a controlled and highly precise manoeuvre. It will then be secured with crushed stone and gravel along the sides to keep it fixed in position.
Lasse Vester, vice contract director at Sund & Bælt, describes the immersion as “very complex”.
- It is a major operation with very little margin for error. We have to lower an element as long as two football pitches to within just a few millimetres, says Lasse Vester, adding:
- That places great demands on the equipment and on our contractor, which is why they have been preparing for the task for a long time.
Milestone after a long series of problems
The immersion of the first tunnel element comes after a period marked by major challenges for the Fehmarn project.
FemernBusiness has previously revealed how the immersion work has been delayed by problems with the IVY vessel, disagreement over the quality of the tunnel trench and strict German environmental requirements in the Fehmarn Belt. At the same time, the main contractor, Femern Link Contractors, has filed claims worth billions of kroner against Femern A/S, while an international arbitration case over Covid-related delays is also under way.
The immersion of the tunnel elements is the phase that will, in practice, determine how quickly the tunnel itself can be completed. The original plan was for all 89 elements to be lowered into place over three years. That work will be followed by up to two years of installations, testing and preparations before the link can open to traffic.
The Fehmarn Belt link will be 18 kilometres long and will connect Rødbyhavn on Lolland with Puttgarden on the German island of Fehmarn. Once completed, it will be the world’s longest immersed tunnel for both road and rail traffic.
