Fehmarn Belt
Fehmarn Belt (Danish: Femern Bælt, former spelling Femer Bælt) is a strait connecting the Bay of Kiel and the Bay of Mecklenburg in the western part of the Baltic Sea between the German island of Fehmarn and the Danish island of Lolland. Ferries operated by Scandlines connect Puttgarden and Rødby on the two islands.
The strait features an 18-kilometre (10 nmi) wide area with depths of 20–30 metres. Currents in the strait are weak and mostly dependent on wind.
Tunnel proposal
The Danish and German governments agreed on 29 June 2007 to build a fixed link to replace the ferry route. It is to save 1 hour on crossing the strait, and provide more crossing capacity.
In 2011, the Danish parliament voted overwhelmingly (with 7 of 8 parties supporting) for the €5.1 billion project that is intended to open in 2020.[1] The tunnel is to have three separate bores, two containing two motorway lanes each, and one with a double-track railway line.[1]
Famous shipwrecks
- 21 July 1932 School ship Niobe
See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fehmarn Belt. |
References
- 1 2 "Dänemark baut Supertunnel nach Deutschland". Der Spiegel, online edition (in German). 1 February 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
Coordinates: 54°34′N 11°17′E / 54.567°N 11.283°E