The work was undertaken on behalf of Femern Link Contractors, the consortium building the 18km tunnel that will reduce travel time between the two countries and contribute to a greener transport system.

Fugro has been involved in the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel project for the last 10 years, from early site investigation work up to the current geotechnical study. This latest phase included geotechnical site characterisation of the sub-seabed soil at both tunnel entrances and, on the Danish side, the production facility where the hollow concrete tunnel elements are being made.

Fugro deployed its Skate 3 jack-up platform, a custom-designed geotechnical spread, and a specialist data acquisition team to perform core drilling and downhole cone penetration tests. The resulting data were then analysed to determine subsurface uncertainty to reduce the contractor's and client's ground risk exposure by providing secured geotechnical design input parameters.

Michael Neuhaus, strategic sales and marketing manager for Fugro in Germany, said: "We are proud to play a significant role in this iconic project. Detailed knowledge of the subsurface soil properties has helped Femern Link Contractors to improve cost and time management during the preconstruction and design phases, and to meet their engineering objectives."