Lo Stad Ship Tunnel Norwegian, a futuristic naval tunnel project more than 1600 meters long, has finally received the OK to start. Construction of the tunnel, expected to begin next year, will cross an entire peninsula, allowing ships to bypass Norway's most dangerous shipping route.
For Futuroprossimo aficionados: we talked about it exactly three years ago, when the first preliminary studies were presented. Approval today: it will be the first "full-scale" naval tunnel in the world (in France there was one which could accommodate smaller boats, until its collapse in the 60s). The Stad Ship Tunnel will allow ships to avoid the dangerous waters of the Stad Peninsula by cutting directly into it. It will have a height of 50 meters (164 feet) and a width of 36 meters (118 feet). It will reach a total length of 1,7 km (1,05 miles).
The first naval tunnel in the world
In total, it is planned to remove a total of 3 billion cubic meters of rock using a series of barges. Engineers will use a horizontal drilling and explosives technique to first remove the upper ceiling section, then move to vertical drilling and explosives for the lower section. The entrance and exit of the tunnel will be left partially blocked during this period so that the interior remains dry during the works, and then opened when it is time to let water in.
Based on the award letter, we will now start property acquisition processes in the area where the ship tunnel will be located, as well as put in place a project organization, prepare a tender basis and launch a tender . There is a lot of work to do, but we have carried out extensive studies and planning which will form the basis for the work.
Terje Andreassen, manager of the Stad Ship Tunnel project
Once the business is open, an average of 19 ships will pass through each day, with one-way traffic alternating every hour. We have no information on the tonnage of the ships that will transit the tunnel. We're not talking about weekend pleasure craft, though: they will be substantial cargo ships, as well as passenger ships.
Assuming everything goes according to plan, the completion of the tunnel is expected by 2026. The budget has increased since I last told you about this project and is currently set at NOK 2,8 billion (around €320 million), excluding taxes.
