Preparations underway for immersing tunnel elements into the Fehmarnbelt

Preparations for the special vessel IVY, which will play a key role in the construction of the Fehmarnbelt tunnel, are nearing completion. The approval of the immersion pontoon is almost two years behind the original schedule.

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 create an even base for the tunnel elements.

“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,” says 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 2.7 kilometres of the tunnel. The contractor expects the first element to be immersed in spring 2026.

The delay in immersion is such that it is no longer realistic to open the link in 2029. Sund & Bælt will therefore 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.

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.