Second element for the Fehmarnbelt tunnel successfully immersed
The second element for the Fehmarnbelt tunnel has now been installed on the seabed. Operations commenced on Tuesday evening, when the 73,500-tonne concrete element was towed out into the Fehmarnbelt. Five tugboats transported the element to the tunnel trench, where it was manoeuvred into position with pinpoint accuracy using steel wires. Immersion began during the night into Friday, and by Saturday morning the element was in place on the seabed.
While the first element was positioned at the tunnel portal, this latest installation had to be precisely connected to the previously immersed element from May. With two elements now in place, more than 500 metres of the 18-kilometre-long tunnel have been installed.
“Although this is now the second time, we have immersed a tunnel element, it remains a complex operation that requires full attention every time. As the contractor gains more experience with the process and the equipment, we expect to increase the pace of the work,” says Lasse Vester, Deputy Project Director at Sund & Bælt.
In the coming days, the sides of the element will be covered with stone and gravel to ensure it remains firmly in place in the trench. Preparations will then begin for the installation of the next element.
The Fehmarnbelt tunnel will consist of a total of 89 concrete elements, which are being assembled at Northern Europe’s largest construction site at Rødbyhavn on Lolland. Each element is as large as a cargo vessel, and just like ships, Sund & Bælt has decided to give the elements individual names.
The Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link plays a central role in the important European Scan-Med transport corridor, which links Scandinavia with Central and Southern Europe. Each element will therefore be named after various towns, cities and regions along the north-south corridor within the European transport network (TEN-T), which extends all the way to the Mediterranean. This element has been named after the Swedish city of Lund.
The Øresund Link has already brought Sweden closer to Denmark, making Lund part of one of Europe’s most important cross-border labour markets and economic regions. With the Fehmarnbelt tunnel, Sweden and Central Europe will be brought closer together still.
Find images from the operation here: Fehmarnbelt tunnel - Immersion - Press kit
About the Fehmarnbelt tunnel
The Fehmarnbelt tunnel is one of Europe’s largest infrastructure projects. The 18 km immersed tunnel between Denmark and Germany will be the world’s longest of its kind. The tunnel will accommodate a motorway with two lanes in each direction and two electrified railway tracks. The journey time will be 10 minutes by car and 7 minutes by train. The Fehmarnbelt link will strengthen the connection between Scandinavia and the rest of Europe. The project is user-financed and supported by the EU.
