Construction of the Fehmarnbelt tunnel between Denmark and Germany has partially resumed after a cyberattack targeted the IT systems of its main contractor, Femern Link Contractors (FLC), overnight into Monday, 12 October.
In a statement published on Friday, 16 October, Danish infrastructure company Sund & Bælt confirmed that several construction activities had restarted, although some IT systems at the site remain affected.
No timetable has been announced for a complete return to normal operations.
Construction continues despite the cyberattack
According to Sund & Bælt, earthworks have continued without interruption on both the Danish and German sides of the project. Some concrete works have also been able to proceed, while production of steel reinforcement continues at the processing facility in Denmark.
The main tunnel element production facility in Rødbyhavn, on the Danish island of Lolland, is expected to resume operations shortly.
Matthias Laubenstein, Contract Director for the Fehmarnbelt project, confirmed that testing of the specialised immersion equipment is continuing.
The offshore tests with our immersion pontoon IVY are being carried out this week.
These tests are part of preparations to lower the first special tunnel element onto the seabed.
The project reached another important construction milestone in September, when the fourth tunnel element was successfully immersed, bringing the completed underwater section to nearly 900 metres.
The cyberattack is being investigated by Denmark’s National Special Crime Unit (National enhed for Særlig Kriminalitet, NSK). No information has been released about those responsible for the attack or the full extent of the disruption. Sund & Bælt says further details cannot currently be disclosed because of the ongoing investigation.
Why the Fehmarnbelt tunnel matters for Europe
The 18-kilometre Fehmarnbelt tunnel will connect Rødbyhavn in southern Denmark with Puttgarden in northern Germany beneath the Baltic Sea. Once completed, it will be the world’s longest immersed tunnel, accommodating both road and rail traffic.
The crossing is expected to take just seven minutes by train and ten minutes by car, significantly improving transport connections between Scandinavia and Central Europe.
Construction began on the Danish side in 2020 and on the German side in 2021.
Supported by the European Union, the project forms part of the Scandinavian-Mediterranean transport corridor, a major component of the EU’s Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).
For now, construction is gradually returning to normal, but the full impact of the cyberattack on the project’s operations remains unclear.
