By rosebell
As replace of Henrik Vincentsen who has stepped down, Guy Taylor has taken over as the project director for the Fehmarnbelt tunnel.
The responsibility of managing the construction of the world’s longest immersed tunnel through the second half of the construction phase will be up to Taylor, whereas Sund & Bælt says the change in management brings more international experience to the organisation.
Including the Söderström Tunnel in Stockholm and the Metrocity Ring in Copenhagen,Taylor has held leading roles in several major international tunnel projects. He also worked on the Channel Tunnel and the Great Belt Fixed Link.
According to Sund & Bælt CEO Mikkel Hemmingsen:”We are entering a new phase of the Fehmarnbelt project, where we will be working in a new way with our contractors to move the project forward together. This requires new skills in project management, and we are delighted to have been able to recruit one of the very best in the world as our new project director.”
While managing multinational contractors, Taylor has involved in the construction of more than 100km of tunnels throughout and he has years’ experience with large international projects.
Sund & Bælt says it is grateful to Henrik Vincentsen for his work in bringing the project from vision to reality and transforming a barren field on Lolland into Northern Europe’s largest construction site.
“I am proud to have led the first phase of the largest construction project in Danish history. We have solved many challenges along the way, and there are more ahead, but the project is in good hands with some of the world’s most talented specialists. I wish the team every success with the project going forward and look forward to the day when I can drive through the tunnel myself,” said Vincentsen.
Considering that the Fehmarnbelt project encounters several major challenges, the scheduled inauguration in 2029 is unlikely, whereas the current biggest challenge is the preparation and regulatory approval of a specialised vessel for the immersion of the tunnel elements. At the same time, the project is entering a new phase, where the focus is shifting from the construction sites on land to the immersion of the first tunnel elements at sea.
As the largest and most complex construction project in Danish history, the Fehmarnbelt tunnel is 18km-long and since the start of the construction phase in 2020, Sund & Bælt’s organisation has been continuously adjusted to challenges. In October, Sund & Bælt established a unified construction division under the leadership of Martin Russo.
