Inside the world’s first tunnel for SHIPS to be built under the Norwegian mountains, a huge gamechanger for ships
The world’s first tunnel for ships will be built on Norway’s treacherous coastline, a groundbreaking step for ships.
The City Tunnel will be blown through a mile of rock at a cost of around £260 million to allow commercial ships to pass through.
6
6
6
6
For decades, the turbulent waters of the City Peninsula have claimed the lives of dozens of sailors.
In the past, desperate sailors even carried their boats ashore using logs to avoid the dangerous waters.
But now that commercial ships are getting bigger and heavier, that is no longer an option.
The Stadhavet Sea is home to rough and unpredictable tides weather – making ships wait in the port for days until they get the green light to set sail.
This has made travel slower and the transportation of goods less efficient, potentially impacting trade.
Terje Andreassen from the Norwegian Coastal Administration told us CNN Travels: “The coastline outside that peninsula is the stormiest area in the world Norwaywith the hurricanes.
“You get a lot of strange currents here.”
The first idea to create a safe passage through the dangerous barrier of the Norwegian coastline emerged about 150 years ago.
But things only started moving in 2013 when the concept of the City Tunnel, which can accommodate large ships, was developed.
It took another eight years before the project was given the green light by the Norwegian government.
The new tunnel will be one and a half kilometers long and 35 meters wide, allowing freight and passenger ships to pass through safely.
Ships can reach the tunnel from the north in Selje, with southern access via the Moldefjord, where the Stad peninsula is at its narrowest.
Access to the underground passage is controlled by traffic lights.
But to avoid collisions, ships are assigned time slots by Vessel Traffic Control – just like planes landing on airports.
They would also have to follow a speed limit of five knots or 9.8 km/h, meaning five ships could pass through the tunnel per hour.
The only exception is speedboats which can reach a speed of 8 knots, allowing them to cross in about ten minutes.
To dig a path through the mountain, approximately three million cubic meters of rock will have to be blasted and removed.
Construction of the project was scheduled to begin in 2022, but was halted when the government realized it would cost more than expected.
While the government is looking for ways to finance the tunnel, the Norwegian Coastal Administration continues to prepare for the start of work.
The exact date of construction is still unknown, but construction is expected to begin in 2025.
It is estimated that four to six years will pass before the project can be completed.
If everything goes smoothly, the City Tunnel will be open and operational in 2030.
Andreassen says once the tunnel is completed, the safe and ‘predictable’ journeys could lead to fast ferry services, improving commercial and industrial activity in the region.
He said: “It will be better connected, it will be easier to travel.”
6
6