The city-ship tunnel should provide more safety.
It is a project on an immeasurable scale: A tunnel for cruise ships is soon to be built in Norway. The 37-meter-high and almost 27-meter-wide colossus is to be built so that the large ships can sail more safely in Norwegian waters.
Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2021.
Norway is a popular route for ships of all kinds. Cruise ships with thousands of curious tourists in particular often head for this destination. But the sea areas in the Arctic Ocean are considered one of the most dangerous in the world. So far, all ships have had to cross the risky Stadhavet sea area on the Norwegian west coast directly in order to continue their journey. Due to the strong and dangerous currents and wind, several ships have already capsized. The luxury cruise ship "Viking Sky" got into distress around 2019. Over 1,300 passengers were in danger after a serious engine failure. The ship drifted straight towards sharp cliffs - injuring several people on board.
In order to give captains and passengers as pleasant and safe a feeling as possible when traveling in the future, a tunnel is now to be built to make it easier for cruise ships to pass through this area. However, freighters and Hurtigruten ships should also be able to pass through the new Stad ship tunnel without any problems. It will measure 37 meters in height and 26.5 meters in width. Over a length of around 1.7 kilometers, ships will then be able to cross the Stad peninsula as a safe sea passage. This will also significantly reduce the travel time - the ships will save several hours. This is because instead of having to sail around the peninsula, the route leads right through the country. Moldefjord and Vanylvsford are to be connected. A ship traveling at a speed of 15 kilometers per hour would therefore only need around ten minutes to cross the tunnel.
The plan to implement this project has been in place for several years. In 2017, the Norwegian parliament also approved it. Now the government has included tunnel construction in the budget for 2021 - so there is nothing standing in the way of starting construction. This is also reported by the Norwegian Maritime Authority Kystverket on their homepage. Tunnel construction is due to start at the end of the year and will then take around four years to complete. So far, Norway has released 330 million euros in funding for the major project. According to experts, however, the costs could rise even further, as the tunnel construction is a very complex and lengthy project.
Technicians are said to be facing a major challenge. The size, depth and unusual location of the tunnel are nothing out of the ordinary. It is estimated that around 7.5 million tons of rock will have to be removed for construction and stored elsewhere.
Picture CreditsKatja Fuhlert / Pixabay, Enrique Lopez Garre / Pixabay
