Harboursandport.com: Norway - The Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA) announced global consulting firm Cowi – based in Denmark – will assist NCA in construction of the Stad Ship Tunnel as a technical advisor.
Dubbed the ‘world’s
first ship tunnel’, the Stad Ship Tunnel in Vestland
county, Norway, was greenlit in 2021 with an allocation of
NOK2.7 billion (US$245 million).
“With Cowi
on board, we have secured a skilled partner who will assist us with the ship
tunnel,” said Terje Skjeppestad, the NCA project manager for the scheme.
“[Cowi] will be with us until the tunnel is fully constructed, meaning through
both preparatory work and in the tendering, design, construction, and
completion phases.”
According
to NCA, Cowi will assist with engineering work and consulting in all necessary
technical disciplines including geotechnics, geology, structures, technical
installations, corrosion, sustainability/environment, and health, safety, and
environment (HSE).
A range
for the value of the agreement was estimated at $2.7-$8.2 million, which also
includes an option for temporary staffing. With the staffing option, the
contract has a maximum value of $13.6 million.
Norway-based
SINTEF (research and development) and Longvas Oppmåling (surveying) were named
as subcontractors.
About Norway’s first-ever Stad Ship Tunnel
The
possibility of a tunnel through the mountains of the Stad peninsula has been
debated for decades, but a construction plan was first included in Norway’s
National Transport Plan in 2013.
The Stad
Ship Tunnel, located at the western tip of Norway, will offer haven to ships
navigating the most exposed stretch of sea on the country’s coast. The
surrounding waters, the Stadhavet Sea, is said to be the most windswept part of
the nation’s coastline with storms approximately 100 days of the year, which
leads to ships waiting days to pass. Currents created by the meeting point of
the North Sea and the Norwegian Sea also complicate navigation.
The tunnel
will create a canal bypass near Kjøde on the east end, and, on the west end,
the tunnel will open between Eide and Berstad.
The proposed tunnel will be 1.7-km long, 50-m high and 36-m wide,
which is large enough for coastal cruise ships to navigate.
Construction
of the tunnel is likely to be undertaken using conventional blasting methods,
utilising underground drilling rigs and pallet rigs.
Culled from Construction Briefing.
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