Denmark’s transport minister Thomas Danielsen, representatives of the client, Femern A/S, main contractor Femern Link Contractors (FLC) and apprentices working on the project also attended the event.
Andreas Madsen, a process operator apprentice with FLC, together with two of his fellow apprentices, had the opportunity to speak to the King and guests.
“As apprentices on the Fehmarnbelt project, we are part of the trained workforce of the future, which will be greatly needed. I hope that by standing here today, we can contribute to reaching out to other young people with the message that vocational education is very exciting,” said Madsen.
At the inauguration, a memorial plaque was unveiled, which will be fixed in the finished tunnel. Also, a time capsule was created for guests at the ceremony and those involved in the project to place a small object. The capsule will be sealed and placed in the Fehmarnbelt project’s Exhibition Centre before being buried near the tunnel portal.
Construction of the Fehmarnbelt tunnel – the world’s longest immersed tunnel – formally began in early 2021 east of Rødbyhavn. Just over three years later, the world’s largest and most advanced production facility for concrete elements has been built, where the 217m-long and 73,500-tonne elements for the tunnel are being produced.
Mikkel Hemmingsen, CEO of Sund & Bælt, the Danish state-owned enterprise tasked with building the tunnel, highlighted the importance of the project for Danish engineering and megaproject knowledge.
“Today is visible proof of how far we have come. Just as this project builds on the experience from the Great Belt and Øresund, the Fehmarnbelt tunnel will show the way for many other major projects in Denmark and in the rest of the world,” said Hemmingsen.
The Fehmarnbelt Tunnel will comprise 79 large tunnel elements and 10 special concrete elements.
The 18km-long tunnel beneath the Baltic Sea will connect Rødbyhavn on Lolland in Denmark and Puttgarden on the German island of Femern.
FLC is a consortium of Vinci Construction Grands Projets; Per Aarsleff Holding (Denmark); Wayss & Freytag Ingenieurbau (Germany); Max Bögl Stiftung & Co (Germany); CFE SA (Belgium); Solétanche-Bachy International; and BAM Infra and BAM International (Netherlands).
