three<\/a>\u00a0elements in the tunnel trench in the Fehmarnbelt. The specialist vessel IVY is now berthed in the work harbour at R\u00f8dbyhavn with the fourth element secured in place. Once the element has been immersed, the first approximately 900m of the 18km tunnel between Denmark and Germany will be in position.<\/p>\nThe fourth element was used in a crucial test\u00a0to demonstrate IVY could handle the next, fifth element, which is the tunnel\u2019s first special element. It is shorter than the standard elements but has a basement\u00a0containing\u00a0technical installations for the tunnel.<\/p>\n
At 39m long, 47m wide and 13m high, the special element is equivalent in size to a four-storey building.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first special element is the size of a\u00a0multi-storey\u00a0building\u00a0and must be positioned at a depth of more than 20m. Immersing such a large structure is a demanding operation, which is why it was necessary to test IVY thoroughly before deploying the vessel,\u201d said Sund & B\u00e6lt deputy contract director Lasse Vester.<\/p>\n
The Fehmarnbelt Tunnel consists of 79 standard elements, each 217m long, and 10 shorter special elements with a basement. The special elements are positioned at intervals of approximately 2km. As well as housing the tunnel\u2019s technical installations, at road level there is space for a service vehicle to stop without obstructing traffic.<\/p>\n
The special element\u2019s basement level requires it to ride higher in the water during transport.\u00a0When the element is lifted further out of the water, buoyancy decreases and the load on IVY increases. The test simulated this\u00a0additional\u00a0load.<\/p>\n
During the test, the fourth element was loaded with an\u00a0additional\u00a01,600 tonnes. The weight was distributed between large water bags on top of the element and tanks inside it. To pass the test, IVY had to be able to lift the element to the same height\u00a0required\u00a0when transporting the special element.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe test was a rehearsal for\u00a0a highly complex\u00a0technical operation. We now know that IVY can handle the\u00a0additional\u00a0load and immerse the special element safely and precisely on the seabed,\u201d\u00a0said Vester.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Fehmarnbelt Tunnel\u2019s special vessel has completed a crucial load test and is now ready to immerse the first special element with a basement. Femern Link Contractors has already immersed\u00a0three\u00a0elements in the tunnel trench in the Fehmarnbelt. The specialist vessel IVY is now berthed in the work harbour at R\u00f8dbyhavn with the fourth element secured in place. Once the element has been immersed, the first approximately 900m of the 18km tunnel between Denmark and Germany will be in position. The fourth element was used in a crucial test\u00a0to demonstrate IVY could handle the next, fifth element, which is the tunnel\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":20485,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[1292,2265],"class_list":["post-20484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","tag-fehmarnbelt-tunnel","tag-femern-link-contractors","post--single"],"yoast_head":"\n
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