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Cyberattack idled fleet of Belt Tunnel construction site
The 'Hebo Lift 9' was one of the fleet of about 40 ships, among them tugs, dredgers, and specialized vessels, which were idled in Rødbyhavn after a cyberattack paralyzed the Fehmarn Belt Tunnel construction site. Due to the IT failure at the construction consortium Femern Link Contractors (FLC), they have been unable to set sail since the evening of Oct 12, 2026. Not only the consortium's digital systems were affected, but also those of numerous subcontractors. The situation was so serious that employees have been banned from logging on to Wi-Fi, opening computers or reading emails sent by Fehmarn Link Contractors. The impact of the disruption on the already tight schedule for the Fehmarn Belt Tunnel remained unclear. The control and monitoring of all work is done digitally in order to optimise documentation and make the deployment of the fleet more efficient. If the system fails, all ships and construction vehicles must cease operations and return to port. The crews were using the time for maintenance, shore leave, and exercise. After the problem arose over the weekend, first it was said the weather was to blame. But on Oct 12,, there were no new orders, as these as well as the data on upcoming work steps are normally issued and managed digitally. For the ship owners, the problem has no financial consequences, as they have fixed charter contracts. For the FLC, however, every day of downtime costs almost one million euros in charter fees alone for all the specialized vessels. Uncertainty also prevailed among many of the more than 2,000 employees, as working hours could not be recorded digitally as usual. Therefore, employees feared that a prolonged absence could have an impact on their salary payments. The German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) has also been informed and stated that it intended to consult with international partners. It remained unclear how the cyberattack would affect the ongoing construction of the world's longest immersed tunnel, at 18 kilometers. The fourth of 79 standard segments, each exactly 217 meters long, was completed at the end of September. This element is only 39 meters long but has a basement level. Inside are, among other things, technical installations and lay-bys for the two road tubes. The lowering of this fifth element is crucial for the overall construction schedule. The transport ministries of Germany and Denmark agreed months ago to meet in October and announce a new timetable. Most recently, it was stated that the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel would not open before 2031, at least partially. In May, the tunnel builder Femern A/S announced that it would first open the two tubes for road traffic and later the tubes for rail traffic. The enormous delays in the completion of the German railway line were cited as the cause. On Oct 14, the reconnaissance vessel 'Kildin', belonging to the Russian Navy, was operating in the vicinity of the construction site. The ship can locate and jam radio signals. On Oct 16, the work could be resumed stepwise. Report with photos: https://www.kn-online.de/schleswig-holstein/baustelle-fuer-fehmarnbelttunnel-steht-still-russisches-spionageschiff-zieht-vorbei-T3UZTQFJEZC3TMZMZM35UW3BI4.html
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