The construction of the Fehmarnbelt tunnel between Denmark and Germany requires the creation of compensatory nature areas on land and at sea.

Femern A/S, the Client for the 18 km immersed tunnel, is therefore establishing a new 42.5-hectare stone reef at Sagas-Bank, south-east of the island of Fehmarn, which will benefit the area’s marine plant and animal life.

The new reef requires around 150,000 tonnes of stone, which must meet a number of requirements that have already been agreed with the German authorities, says Stefanie Knörck, Head of Permits and Environment Germany at Femern A/S.

"Nature, of course, must have the optimal conditions, which is why we’re being very specific about the stones we need for the reef. As thorough preparatory work is required, we would like to reach out to potential suppliers to get an overview of the market,” says Stefanie Knörck.

Femern A/S’ survey of the market will continue until 30 March 2023. It will gather information about possible suppliers and the availability of suitable stones.  

One of the requirements is that the stones must originate from the glacial periods and be unbroken. Size also plays a role: they must be similar to those lost during decades of stone fishing in the Fehmarnbelt. The majority, therefore, should come from the Baltic Sea area and have a diameter of 60-100 cm.

Femern A/S expects to invite tenders in the beginning of 2024 for the establishment of the stone reef.

Femern A/S' Prior Information Notice (PIN) for the market survey has been published on the EU tender portal TED (Tenders Electronic Daily):

https://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:75517-2023:TEXT:EN:HTML&src=0

About the Fehmarnbelt tunnel
The Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link between Rødbyhavn on Lolland and the German island of Fehmarn will be an 18 km immersed tunnel for cars and trains.

The tunnel is expected to open to traffic in 2029 with a two-lane motorway in each direction and two electrified rail tracks for high-speed trains. It will take 10 minutes to drive from Denmark to Germany by car and seven minutes by train.

Photos and illustrations: https://www.skyfish.com/p/femern

For more information
Jens Villemoes, Head of Media Relations, Femern A/S, jvi@femern.dk, + 45 33 41 44 27