The specialist vessel Ivy still lacks a key approval needed to complete the full immersion programme for the Fehmarn Belt tunnel. That means the vessel has yet to receive full clearance for all parts of the operation to complete the fixed link between Denmark and Germany.
Ivy has now been put into operation and has immersed the first standard tunnel element. But the vessel has still not been approved to handle the tunnel’s 10 special elements.
Those elements differ from the 79 standard elements because they include a lower technical level beneath the road and rail tubes. Parts of the tunnel’s technical systems will be housed there. The first special element is SP10, which becomes relevant once the first five standard elements have been installed.
Stop in the process
Ivy has been one of the biggest technical challenges in the Fehmarn project for more than two years. The specialist vessel was delivered in autumn 2024, but approval has taken longer than planned. In December, its temporary sailing certificate was withdrawn, forcing the cancellation of a planned first immersion.
There will be a stop in the process when Ivy moves from handling standard elements to special elements. Before that can happen, DNV, which is responsible for the technical certification on behalf of the Danish Maritime Authority, must handle the next stage of the approval process.
Sund & Bælt says the necessary approval is only expected later in the programme.
- We expect the necessary approval to be granted in the period leading up to the immersion of the first special element, Sund & Bælt says.
The company says the decision was made for reasons of efficiency. When Ivy received final approval for the standard elements, the first standard element had already been attached to the vessel and was ready for the next phase. Approval for the special elements was therefore postponed.
Approval for special elements
Sund & Bælt cannot say how long approval for the special elements will take.
- That lies with Femern Link Contractors and the approving authority, the company says.
Femern Link Contractors, FLC, is the main contractor for the tunnel construction. The consortium is responsible for both casting the tunnel elements in Rødbyhavn and immersing them in the Fehmarn Belt. FLC includes a number of international construction groups, among them Vinci Construction, Per Aarsleff, Max Bögl, DEME and BAM.
FemernBusiness has also asked Femern Link Contractors to comment on the missing approval for the special elements. The main contractor has not responded.
The immersion of the first tunnel element may also affect the relationship between the client and the main contractor. In large construction contracts, payments are often tied to specific milestones, but Sund & Bælt will not say whether the first immersion triggers a milestone payment to FLC.
- That is part of the contractual negotiations, which we do not comment on, the company says.
Major disagreements
The first immersion follows a long period of problems in the Fehmarn project. FemernBusiness has previously reported how the work has been delayed by problems with the specialist vessel Ivy and disagreement over the quality of the tunnel trench.
At the same time, relations between the client, Femern A/S, and the main contractor, Femern Link Contractors, are marked by major disagreements over the timetable, responsibility and money. The main contractor has filed a claim of DKK 14.5bn against Femern A/S, which sits under Sund & Bælt, and an international arbitration case is also under way over delays related to the coronavirus pandemic.
Under the original plan, the 89 tunnel elements are to be immersed over three years. That will be followed by up to two years of installations, testing and preparation before the link can open to traffic.
