Femern A/S is to establish a rock reef of over 42 hectares close to the German island of Fehmarn. The reef is being established as part of the construction of the Fehmarnbelt tunnel and will become a new habitat for many different animal and plant species. Femern A/S is therefore investigating the market to obtain information on the availability of suitable stones.
With the construction of the Fehmarnbelt tunnel between Denmark and Germany comes a demand for the creation of replacement nature on land and in the sea.
150,000 tons of stone
Femern A/S must therefore establish a new rock reef of 42.5 hectares at Sagas Bank southeast of the island of Femern. which will be a gain for the flora and fauna of the area.
The new stone reef requires around 150,000 tonnes of stone, which must meet a number of requirements that have been agreed in advance with the German authorities, says Stefanie Knörck, head of environment and authorities at Femern A/S, in a press release from the company:
Requires thorough preparation
– Naturally, nature must have the best possible conditions. Therefore, we set very specific requirements for the stones we use in the reef. It requires thorough preparatory work, and therefore we would like to get in touch with possible suppliers to form an overview of the market, says Stefanie Knörck.
Until 30 March 2023, Femern A/S will carry out a market survey to gather information about possible suppliers and the availability of suitable stones.
Stone is not just stone
If you walk around thinking that stones are just stones, then you need to think again. For example, the stones must originate from the Ice Age and be unbroken. The size of the stones also plays a role, so they correspond to those lost by decades of stone fishing in the Fehmarn Belt. The majority of the stones should therefore ideally come from the Baltic Sea area and have a diameter of 60-100 cm.
Price not determined
Femern A/S expects that the task of establishing the final stone reef will be tendered in 2024. What the price will have not yet been determined:
– As for the value of the contract, it is too early to say. The purpose of the market survey is precisely to investigate the price, quality and quantity of stone available on the market. The price of the task will then be decided later in connection with a tender, says Jens Villemoes, press manager for Femern A/S, to FemernReport.
Also read:
German court rejects Fehmarn complaints
