Norway Will Build the World’s First Ship Tunnel

In 2019, the construction of a huge ship tunnel through a mountain by the Norwegian coast will begin, making it easier to navigate stormy, hazardous waters.

From 2023, ferries and container vessels will be able to pass 1,700 m through a Norwegian mountain. Following years of preparations, the government has introduced its plans for the construction of the world’s first ship tunnel through the Stad Peninsula 175 km north of Bergen.

The largescale project will make the voyage along the coast of Norway safer. Once the tunnel has been completed, ships need no longer pass through the most hazardous of Norwegian waters. For more than two months of the year, strong winds, fierce ocean currents, and waves make conditions extremely unpredictable. During the past 70 years, 34 people have drowned in the waters.

The new, safe short cut through the mountain can be used by both commercial ships and small private boats.