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World’s First Full-Scale Ship Tunnel to
be Built in Norway
Norway will start the construction its newest megastructure in 2019.
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.
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 in to 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.
It has been mentioned that Stadhavet Sea is diffi-
cult 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.
Building the ship tunnel is hoped to lessen the
risks associated with sailing in the region. An-
dreassen said, “[The tunnel] is a project that will
secure safe journeys and transportation of pas-
sengers and freight on the most exposed and
dangerous part of the Norwegian coast.”
Construction Leaders • May 2017
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