FLC fails the first 1,300 metres of the tunnel trench

On the seabed off Rødbyhavn lies the foundation for the Fehmarn Belt tunnel. Here, an 18-kilometre-long trench has been dug, where 89 concrete elements will later be lowered and connected. But the trench is also the centre of a conflict between the client and the contractor, and as long as there is no agreement on its condition, the work cannot proceed.

New internal measurements now show that the problems with the tunnel trench extend further into the Fehmarn Belt than previously described. According to surveys by the main contractor, Fehmarn Link Contractors (FLC), the bottom is also significantly below the design level in the next part of the trench. And thus, the main contractor fails the first 1,300 metres of the tunnel trench.

Counting down from 79

The measurements were carried out by FLC itself, after the contractor rejected the client's measurements as a basis for approving and taking over the trench.

Consortium has paid for deficiencies in tunnel trench

Femern A/S accepted a trench that was dug too deep and received compensation from Dutch Femern Belt Contractors. The tunnel trench remains a bottleneck for the lowering of the elements.

FemernBusiness has previously described how FLC's measurements of the first 650 metres showed large deviations from the requirements. The new data shows that the same picture applies in the next areas.

The tunnel trench is divided into zones, each of which must accommodate one tunnel element. TE-79 is the first zone off the coast of Lolland, where the first element is planned to be lowered. Then follows TE-78, TE-77, TE-76 and onwards towards Germany. The zones thus reflect the order in which the work at sea is to be carried out.

Hole of 1.5 metres

The latest measurements show figures for zones TE-76, TE-75, and TE-74, with the average deviation in the material recorded at 57.7 centimetres, 48.4 centimetres, and 39.2 centimetres below design level, respectively. At the same time, there are local depressions where the trench is about 1.5 metres below the planned level.

The new measurements also include SP10. In the material, the average deviation here is recorded at 31.9 centimetres below design level, while the maximum deviation is 116.4 centimetres. SP10 is the site for the first of ten special elements with a basement under the road and railway pipes, where the tunnel's technology is assembled.

No comments

The tunnel trench is just one of several issues in the collaboration. FLC has simultaneously raised a claim of 1.95 billion euros against Femern A/S, citing changed conditions and delays, and there is an ongoing international arbitration regarding a separate claim of 77 million euros related to the coronavirus pandemic.

In a press release from 17 September, the Femern project stated that parts of the trench were about 30 centimetres deeper than planned, but that it could be managed by laying a thicker layer of chippings under the tunnel elements. According to the developer, the process is therefore as expected, just with a need for greater adjustment than initially assumed.

Femern A/S will not comment on the new measurements. The company states that the discussion about the quality of the tunnel trench is part of contractual negotiations between the Fehmarn Belt project and FLC, and as a matter of principle, they do not comment on negotiations.

Fehmarn schedule crumbles: Danish delay of several years expected

No tunnel element has yet been lowered in the Fehmarn Belt. The pace must almost double if the tunnel is to open in 2029, but weather windows, environmental regulations, and lack of vessel approvals point towards a massive delay.