Can the tunnel factory's large dock and the working harbour at Rødbyhavn be used to dismantle decommissioned ships?
That is what the EU project ShipCycle will investigate. Erhvervshus Sjælland is leading the project, in which Business Lolland-Falster is among the participants.
However, Stig Rømer Winther, director of Femern Belt Development, believes it is too early to commit to the area's future.
- Ship dismantling is one of many possibilities, but in our view it is far too early to decide what will happen to the area. We have a unique location by the motorway, railway and sea route, one of the only places in Northern Europe with this combination, and we see very significant opportunities for the area.
A plan for the entire area
He is calling for an overall plan in which the opportunities are assessed according to their potential to create long-term jobs and investments.
Such a plan should also consider how Lolland can enter into closer cooperation with companies in northern Germany.
- I should not be the judge of what will ultimately happen to the construction site and the tunnel element factory, but I am interested in creating an industrial area that is in step with modern development in the region. Just across on the German side, there are some very large companies that already have very little space in which to expand. Therefore, we on Lolland need to think carefully.
He goes on to say that Schleswig-Holstein, the area on the German side of the Fehmarn Belt, currently has very few available commercial sites, and he therefore believes that German needs should be taken into account when assessing which industries to attract.
- We have a golden egg, and it must be looked after carefully. We have unique opportunities, and it is in that light that we should consider which industries to attract and why.
