Two engineering consultancy groups chosen for the Fehmarn project

The bridge engineering consultants will be the Danish-German joint venture of Cowi A/S & Obermeyer *), while the tunnel engineering consultants will be a Danish-British-Dutch joint venture consisting of Rambøll, Arup and TEC **).

The two consultancy groups will compete to deliver the optimum project – a bridge or a tunnel – with due regards to what is technically feasible and financially and environmentally sound. 

A cable-stayed bridge across the 19 km wide Fehmarnbelt is the preferred solution although Femern A/S will also examine an immersed tunnel solution in order to, for instance, clarify and compare the environmental advantages and disadvantages of the respective engineering solutions.

“We’re now starting to plan one of the world’s largest fixed links,”  says Peter Lundhus, CEO of Femern A/S. “As the dimensions of a bridge project will exceed those of the Øresund Bridge by 50 per cent, we will have to develop a range of new methods for the Fehmarnbelt link. Our consultants will assist us in defining these solutions and presenting projects that can be executed a few years from now. We are considering both a bridge and a tunnel project to be absolutely sure that all the aspects have been examined before we decide. After all, as the fixed link will be designed to last for more than 100 years, finding the optimum engineering and aesthetic solutions are crucial.”

The planning of the bridge and tunnel is part of the comprehensive EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) studies.

The outcome of the next few years’ planning and EIA studies will form an important part of the choice of the link’s precise alignment and the engineering solution.

Femern A/S has chosen the two engineering consultants from among seven international groups who submitted tenders in December. Four groups tendered for the bridge consultancy services and three for the tunnel consultancy services.

” We have chosen the most financially advantageous tenders,” explains Peter Lundhus. “Nevertheless, all seven tenders were of a very high quality and would, in principle, have been qualified for the tasks.”

*) Engineering consultants for the bridge project:
The joint venture consists of Cowi A/S (DK) and Obermeyer Planen und Beraten (DE). For decades, Cowi has been involved with some of the world’s largest bridges, including Storebælt and Øresund and the Messina bridge in Italy. Obermeyer is one of Germany’s largest engineering and architectural consultants and, for the past 50 years, has been involved in a number of bridge and tunnel projects in Germany.

Major sub-consultants to Cowi A/S and Obermeyer include:
- Leonhardt, Andrä und Partner, Beratende Ingenieure VBI, Gmbh (DE)
- Flint & Neill Partnership (UK)
- Dissing + Weitling A/S (DK)

**) Engineering consultants for the tunnel project:
The joint venture consists of Rambøll Danmark A/S (DK), Ove Arup & Partners International Ltd. (UK), Tunnel Engineering Consultants (NL). All three companies have had key roles in some of the world’s largest infrastructure projects, including the tunnel under Øresund, Citytunnelen in Malmö, the Medwaytunnel in England and Amsterdam’s metro.

Major sub-consultants to Rambøll, Arup & TEC include:  
- WTM Engineers GmbH (DE)
- HTG Ingenieurbüro für Bauwesen GmbH (DE)
- Wilkinson Eyre Architects (UK)
- Schønherr Landskab (DK)
- Oriental Consultants (JA)

For further information, please contact CEO Peter Lundhus, tel. + 45 33 41 63 00.

Yours sincerely,

Karsten Holmegaard
Media relations manager
Femern A/S