The Stad Ship Tunnel It will be the first tunnel for naval traffic in the world: high 49 meterswide 36 meters and long well 1.7 km. This structure, once completed, will allow the passage of most cruise ships from Moldifjorden to Kjødepollenthe two extremes of the Stad peninsula, on the south-west coast of Norway. It is estimated that to date the81% naval traffic that transit in the area can use the tunnel today, avoiding passing through the dangerous route on the Stadhavet sea, and each ship will be able to cross it in just 12 minutes. Five ships at the same time will be able to pass through it, and all the traffic will be managed by advanced digital systems.
Why make the Stad Ship Tunnel
Stadhavet’s sea is considered the most impervious part of the vast Norwegian coast, a place of several accidents over the years. It is estimated that from the end of the Second World War there have been 46 accidents with 33 dead. The combination of wind, currents and waves that can also come to 30 meters It makes this stretch a particularly demanding area and circumnavigate the Stadlandet peninsula is not exactly something simple. That’s why you want “cut“The journey, significantly reducing the hours of navigation.
There are several engineering and architecture studies involved, among these stands out the area architecture study: Snøhetta who studied the landscape insertion works of the two entrances of the tunnel. It is estimated that the project will cost 3.45 billion noks (about 300 million euros) and 4 companies admitted to the tender are; Except for unexpected events, the contract could be signed in the autumn of 2025, with the construction that will begin atbeginning of 2026.
How the Stad Ship Tunnel will be built
To dig i 3 million tons of rock, explosive and other conventional mechanical methods, inherited from road engineering, will be used. Norway has in fact the reputation of world leader In the realization of tunnels, just think that they have already built the longest road tunnel in the world!
Of the 49 meters high, 12 m must be carved under sea level. Proceeding for subsequent layers, the excavation, will proceed simultaneously starting from the two sides of the peninsula, the Moldefjorden area and the bay of Kjødepollen. The biggest challenge will be to manage excavation operations, in particular, managing to work ondry. To do this, the excavation will be protected to the two extremes from parade systems made with prefabricated elements that will prevent the entrance of the water until the conclusion of the works. Only once the entire tunnel will be completed, with all the active services and systems will it be “flooded”, in a controlled way.
Circular economy in the project
Another challenge for this mega work will be managed and transported the huge quantities of broken rock. With the help of barge, the digged rocks will be used to give life to numerous new projects nearby. Norway, in addition to a new navigation route, will earn about 160,000 square meters of newly conceived commercial areas with the creation of the new areas of Lesto, Kjøde and Moldestad, all in line with the precious principles ofcircular economy.
