Revolutionary tunnel construction: Fehmarnbelt project on the home stretch!

Revolutionary tunnel construction: Fehmarnbelt project on the home stretch!

The construction of the Fehmarnbelt tunnel, which represents an impressive engineering performance, is progressing. This over 18 kilometer project, which is supposed to combine Germany with Denmark, is an outstanding example of modern engineering. Five special ships that are currently on the coast of Lolland are in the starting blocks to lower the first tunnel element this year and thus achieve an important milestone under construction.

The ships "Ivy 1" and "Ivy 2" are the main actors in this complex process. These two ships can be put together and resemble a catamaran; They measure impressive 105 by 45 meters. This dimensional size enables you to keep the 217 meter long tunnel elements afloat. With a refined system in which you take the element at the ends, you can use a tractor to pull it precisely to the intended place.

special ships in action

The engineers are fascinated by the technical possibilities of the "Ivy" ships. Markus Just, a civil engineer at Femern A/S, is enthusiastic about the pontoons specially designed for this project: "I absolutely wanted to watch these pontoons up close," he says. The special thing about these ships is not only their size, but also their ability to lower the tunnel pieces with the highest precision. As soon as the element is in the right place, it is slowly lowered to steel cables to land exactly at the desired position.

In order to do the preparatory work for the civil engineering of the tunnel, the “Maya” ship also comes into play. With a length of 131 meters and a width of 48 meters, you can hardly overlook it. His task is to remove a gravel bed on which the tunnel elements are to be lowered. Equipped with elaborate technology, "Maya" offers space for two cargo rooms, each with 7000 tons of gravel. The LUTTEN WASER TOOK is precisely lowered to the floor over rope winches and places the gravel evenly at a depth of up to 40 meters, which can be compared with the methods of a 3-D printer.

fixation of the tunnel

As soon as the elements are lowered, they must be fixed in your position. This is where the special ship "Spreader Pontoon" comes into play, which is equipped with a length of 82.5 meters and a width of 34 meters. It ensures that the space between the tunnel element and ditch is filled with sand and gravel. The engineers emphasize the importance of this measure to stabilize the structure: "This is important to fix the elements in their position," explains just.

To protect the tunnel from external dangers, the "Wismar" will be used. This 94 meter long and 25 meter wide special production will put a 1.20 meter thick layer of stones over the tunnels. This is intended to prevent ships, anchors or other objects from damaging the structure. "The sea flow will also help to ensure that the protective layer is covered with sand over time," explains Markus Just, and adds: "This no longer needs a special pontoon. In view of the multi-layered technical requirements and the impressive shipping fleet, which was specially developed for the construction of the Fehmarnbelt-Tunnel, it is once more evident how the modern construction industry can be challenging and innovatively. This project could not only significantly improve the connection between two countries, but also change the face of transport in the Baltic Sea.

For more information on this project and its progress, see the current reporting on www.ln-online.de .