World’s First Ship Tunnel in Norway

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According to the Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA) Norway will build the first shup tunnel on the Western Stad peninsula in Norway. This will facilitate freight and passenger ship navigation in avoiding a dangerous coastal area.

World’s First Ship Tunnel in Norway
Stad Ships tunnel. Map by NCA

Engineers in Norway are now laying plans to allow cargo and passenger ships to sail underneath a snow-capped mountain, near the city of Selje. Norway thereby confirms its reputation for innovation and progressiveness with a first-of-a-kind tunnel that allows large ships to travel under a mountain.

The tunnel will be 1,800 meter long, 37 meter wide and 26.5 meter tall and pass through the narrowest part of the Stad Peninsula, allowing ships to bypass the Stadhavet Sea. According to the Norwegian administration this is the most exposed and dangerous area along the Norwegian coastline.

World’s First Ship Tunnel in Norway
Sketch of Stad ships tunnel

At an estimated cost of $450 million, the Stad tunnel will be the world’s first full-scale ship tunnel, according to NCA.

The project is believed to take 12 years to complete, and while it won’t actually shorten any trips around Norway’s remote Stad Peninsula, it will make voyages much safer. The lives of 33 seamen have been lost in the region since World War II. The tunnel will also strengthen industrial and commercial activities in the region.

World’s First Ship Tunnel in Norway
Photo by Appex/NCA

The engineers will have to blast out eight million tons of rock, which will be used in the neighboring municipalities to establish new landmass and expand existing areas for business purposes.

The Norwegian Parliament has already earmarked $120 million for the project, and construction could begin as early as 2018, and is scheduled to finish in 2029.

World’s First Ship Tunnel in Norway
Stad ships tunnel / Snøhetta/NCA

The completed project will be another example of Norway’s fine tunneling exploits, following the construction of the globe’s longest road tunnel at 25km.

World’s First Ship Tunnel in Norway, written by Tor Kjolberg

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Journalist, PR and marketing consultant Tor Kjolberg has several degrees in marketing management. He started out as a marketing manager in Scandinavian companies and his last engagement before going solo was as director in one of Norway’s largest corporations. Tor realized early on that writing engaging stories was more efficient and far cheaper than paying for ads. He wrote hundreds of articles on products and services offered by the companies he worked for. Thus, he was attuned to the fact that storytelling was his passion.