Ship Tunnel attracts attention abroad

In this computer rendered image provided by the Norwegian Coastal Administration on Thursday, April 6, 2017, a ferry approaches the entrance of a tunnel for ships. Norway plans to build the world's first tunnel for ships, a 1,700-meter (5,610-feet) passageway burrowed through a piece of rocky peninsula that will allow vessels to avoid a treacherous part of sea. Construction of the Stad Ship Tunnel, which would be able to accommodate cruise and freight ships weighing up to 16,000 tons, is expected to open in 2023. (Snohetta/Norwegian Coastal Administration via AP)

International media are encompassing news that Norway will build the world’s first full-scale ship tunnel.

– When the Guardian is running the headline: “Move over Suez, make space for Stad – Norway to build the world’s first tunnel for ships”, so we have to smile a bit.

But it also says something on how the project is perceived internationally. This is an innovation, and something that the world has not seen before, Project Manager for the Stad Ship Tunnel, Terje Andreassen relates.

In a press release Kystverket (NCA) informs that they have so far registered cases being published by major media outlets in Denmark, Spain, UK, USA, Germany, Brazil, Argentina, the Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, Russia, Namibia, Nigeria, Mexico and Australia – to name but a few.

– There is no doubt that the ship tunnel construction and attraction is something that captivates people, but the NCA are keen to stress that the safety aspect of the construction is most important, and that the aim of the project is to improve the navigability and safety of maritime transport in the often ferocious conditions of the Stad area, Andreassen underlines.

The issue is also widely spread through social media. On CNN’s Facebook page a presentation based on NCA material has had more than 1.5 million views, 12,800 shares and 27,000 likes clicks – all in one day.

The budget is NOK 2.7 billion towards the Stad Ship Tunnel in the national transport plan spread over a twelve-year period. The 1,700 meter-long tunnel is to be made between Moldefjorden and Kjødepollen in Sogn og Fjordane.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today