Preparations for Immersing Tunnel Elements Into the Fehmarnbelt

According to information from the project company Femern A/S, preparations for the special ship IVY were nearing completion at the end of January 2026
Credit/Quelle: Femern A/S

The first part of the tunnel trench is currently being 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.

15 Tunnel Elements Have Been Cast

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.

Special Vessel „Hebo Lift 9“

Furthermore, at the end of January 2026 a new special vessel has arrived in the work harbour in Rødbyhavn. It is the large floating crane “Hebo Lift 9”. The floating crane will place the enormous anchors on the seabed, to which the immersion pontoon IVY will be attached with long steel wires in connection with the immersion of the first tunnel element this spring.

A total of eight anchors weighing 500 t each will be used. The anchors are shaped like large boxes and are lowered onto the seabed. After the immersion of an element, the anchors can then be picked up again by the crane and reused in connection with the immersion of the next element. “Hebo Lift 9” can easily handle the weight, as it can lift up to 800 t. The crane can lift to a height of 67 m and the vessel is 27 m wide.

New Overall Schedule for the Entire Project

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.

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.