The Fehmarnbelt Tunnel is a structure of the century, because on completion it will be the longest submerged tunnel in the world with a length of 18 kilometers.
The fastest connection between Scandinavia and Central Europe is therefore being built between Puttgarden and Rødbyhavn. The tunnel cross-section contains two motorway tunnels, two rail tunnels and a service tunnel and will significantly shorten travel time. In the midst of it all and not just present: 2-axle Cometto self-propelled vehicles from the Eco1000 range.
A tunnel element weighs 73,000 tonnes
The first vehicle has just been delivered to Rødbyhavn. The world’s largest precast concrete plant is currently under construction there with six production halls, where over 2,000 people will be employed when completed. In the near future a total of 89 tunnel elements will be manufactured there for the gigantic project. A standard element is 217 meters long and weighs more than 73,000 tonnes. Extremely large dimensions!
Femern Link Contractors, known by the abbreviation FLC, is the consortium that is responsible for the planning and construction of the submerged tunnel, the tunnel portals and the ramps. The FLC group is made up of international construction companies, each of them having individual experience with large infrastructure projects. Following a thorough preparation phase, the project is now in full swing.
Driver’s platform for fatigue-free operation
The specialists are relying on three self-propelled 2-axle Eco1000s from Cometto for the various transport operations on the big building site. Thanks to its compact design the vehicle can move payloads of up to 84 tonnes, even when space is tight for maneuvering. “The 5,600 millimeter-long loading platform has two integrated gantries with twistlocks for lashing the containers”, says Joachim Kolb, Sales Manager at Cometto, mentioning one of the vehicle’s special features. “A driver’s platform at the front enables fatigue-free operation for the driver under optimal conditions over the long transport distances.” FLC ordered a total of three Eco1000 vehicles, the last of which will be delivered in September 2023.
Eco1000 keeps its promise
The project was handled in collaboration with the Danish Cometto partner ProTruck. Rene Bertelsen, Sales Director of ProTruck, was present when his service department handed over the Eco1000 to the customer. He was thrilled by the impressions. “The all-round transport vehicle has very quickly developed into an important and indispensable piece of the mosaic in the transport logistics here on the building site. The in-plant transport is now … propelled to the MAX … and the Eco1000 simply keeps its promise!”