The special vessel IVY, which is needed to immerse the tunnel elements, is undergoing final testing and the tunnel trench is being prepared.
The approval of the immersion pontoon is almost two years behind the original schedule. In September last year Femern A/S, the Danish state-owned company tasked with planning, building and operating the fixed link between Denmark and Germany, said completion of the special vessel had been delayed to such an extent that it had put project back 18 months.
In the coming weeks, the first part of the tunnel trench will be prepared for immersion. The trench is being adapted to the elements and the contractor is laying a gravel bed to form an even base.
“We are in direct negotiations with the senior management of the large construction companies that will build the tunnel. Our focus is on resolving the current challenges and finding solutions that will drive the project forward,” said Mikkel Hemmingsen, CEO of Sund & Bælt, the owner of the Fehmarnbelt tunnel.
To date, 15 tunnel elements have been cast in the factory on Lolland, corresponding to the first 2.7km of the18km-long tunnel.
The delay in immersion means the tunnel’s original opening date of 2029 is not realistic. Sund & Bælt will prepare a new overall schedule for the entire project after the first tunnel elements have been immersed. The delay will also have an impact on the total construction costs of the project.
Like the previous infrastructure projects realised by Sund & Bælt – the Storebælt and Øresund links – the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel will also be user-financed and based on loans that are repaid from traffic revenue. An expected delay and increase in costs will therefore only affect the repayment period, Femern said.
The overall project will still be able to be implemented as a user-financed project. The repayment period for the tunnel and the Danish land facilities is expected to remain within the framework of the Danish Construction Act.
