Fehmarnbelt Tunnel Contractors Appointed

On Friday, March 4, 2016, the Danish political parties behind the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel mandated Femern A/S to appoint the preferred bidders for the main tunnel contracts with the aim of entering conditional contracts no later than mid-May 2016.

The Fehmarnbelt link will be an 18-km (11-mile) long immersed tunnel. It will be the world’s longest of its type for both road and rail. The project cost has been reported as €5.5 billion ($6.1 billion).

The immersed tunnel will comprise 89 large pre-cast concrete elements. The elements will be cast in a factory built for the purpose east of Rødbyhavn on the Danish side. The contractor will therefore build the factory, cast the tunnel elements, sail them to the tunnel trench and immerse them into a tunnel trench under the seabed that will have been dug out in advance. The contractor will then cover the tunnel elements and finish with a layer of rock on top to protect the tunnel.

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The preferred contractor for the immersed tube tunnel is Femern Link Contractors (FLC). Project parties include: Contractors— VINCI Construction Grands Projets S.A.S. (France); Per Aarsleff A/S (Denmark); Wayss & Freytag Ingenieurbau AG (Germany); Max Bögl Stiftung & Co. KG (Germany); CFE SA (Belgium); Solétance-Bachy International S.A.S. (France); BAM Infra BV (Netherlands); BAM International B.V. (Netherlands); Sub-contractor – Dredging International N.V. (Belgium); consultant – COWI A/S (Denmark).

The preferred contractor for the portals and ramps is also FLC. The preferred contractor for dredging and reclamation is Fehmarn Belt Contractors (FBC), a consortium including Boskalis International B.V., HOCHTIEF Solutions AG, Ed. Züblin AG, and Van Oord Dredging and Marine Contractors B.V., with consultant SWECO Danmark A/S.