Engineers have built numerous megastructures from all over the world which are now considered manmade marvels. Now, Norway is planning to add one to the list: a full-scale ship tunnel. And it will be the world’s first.
Planned to be built in the Stadhavet Sea where navigation is considered a struggle, the Stad Ship Tunnel will be 1,700 meters long. It will be used mainly for commercial shipping but leisure vessels will also be given permission to pass through.
Source: The Norwegian Coastal Administration
Its construction will take three to four years to build, requiring 3 million cubic meters of rock to be removed.
The Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA) will spearhead the project which is expected to start in 2019. It will them cost about US $313 million.
Terje Andreassen, project manager for Stad ship tunnel at NCA, said, “There are still many pieces of the puzzle that need to be put into place before construction can start, but we have previously stated that the actual construction could be at the earliest in 2019.”
As per plans, the megastructure has a ground to ceiling height of 49 meters, a cross-sectional area of 1625m2 and a width of 36m between tunnel walls.
Source: The Norwegian Coastal Administration
It has been mentioned that Stadhavet Sea is difficult to navigate. According to NCA, the Kråkenes lighthouse, just south of Stad, can experience between 45 and 106 days of stormy weather per year. The combination of wind, currents and waves around make it a challenging part of the Norwegian coast.
Not only that, the subsea topography can also be complex at some areas, which can cause critical situations like heavy waves.
Source: The Norwegian Coastal Administration
Building the ship tunnel is hoped to lessen the risks associated with sailing in the region. Andreassen said, “[The tunnel] is a project that will secure safe journeys and transportation of passengers and freight on the most exposed and dangerous part of the Norwegian coast.”
Source: The Engineer UK
