The geotechnical investigations are part of the basis on which final selection of the route for the Fixed Link over the Fehmarnbelt between Rødbyhavn and Puttgarden will be made.

Femern A/S will carry out Large Scale Testing offshore in the test area situated in the Fehmarnbelt north east of Puttgarden ferry harbour. Femern A/S and Per Aarsleff A/S, Denmark, have just signed a contract relating to these geotechnical investigations on the seabed.

The aim of the investigations is to reveal behaviours of soil and structural elements for both bridge or tunnel scenarios in the area. The investigations supplement the test drilling and laboratory investigations which were instigated in 2009.

The test area in the Fehmarnbelt will cover 40  x 70 metres, approximately one kilometre from the German coast. The company will start excavating 10 metres of seabed at a depth of 10 metres underwater towards the end of July. After a thin layer of sand, excavation work will encounter fat clay, and no spill which might affect the quality of bathing water in the coastal area is anticipated.

The test area will be marked with buoys and sailing will be forbidden for the next two years, during which time various geotechnical investigations will be carried out in the excavated area.

The company will install piles and instruments in and near the excavation zone.  These will measure and monitor earth movements under various loads. The geotechnical information gathered by Femern A/S is a prerequisite for the building of either a tunnel or a bridge across the Fehmarnbelt. Once the investigations are completed in 2012, the seabed will be fully restored to its former state.

Land drilling
The Fugro enterprise is carrying out the last two of 10 land-based drill tests at 50-100 metres depth, followed by 40 lesser penetration tests at approximately 25 metres depth.

The area in question is approximately one kilometre inland and is primarily agricultural land. Drilling is expected to last for two weeks and finish by the end of July. Penetration tests in fields will begin after the harvest in August.

Fugro has been conducting test bores at sea since May. A total of around 100 planned bores in the seabed will be completed in the autumn.

For questions, please contact Jens Kammer, Geotechnical Project Manager, Femern A/S. Tel. +45 33 41 63 09.

Press contact:
Germany: Inga Karten, +49 30 288 76 59 38, ikn@femern.de
Denmark: Karsten Holmegaard, +45  33 41 63 35, kho@femern.dk