Norway to build world's first tunnel for ships

Norway plans to build the world’s first tunnel for ships, a 1,700-metre (5,610-ft) passageway burrowed through a piece of rocky peninsula that will allow vessels to avoid a treacherous part of sea.

The Stad Ship Tunnel, which would be able to accommodate cruise and freight ships weighing up to 16,000 tonnes, is expected to open in 2023.

It will be 37 metres high and 26.5m wide, according to the Norwegian Coastal Administration, and is estimated to cost at least 2.7bn kroner ($310m USD, €292m EUR, £250m GBP).

The tunnel is expected to be located at the narrowest point of the Stadlandet peninsula, where the weather has for decades been considered an obstacle for shipping.

Under the plan, passenger traffic will be given priority but small cruise ships and other vessels will also be able to use the tunnel. It will be free for vessels measuring less than 70 metres. Vessels sailing through the tunnel will get timeslots from a traffic centre to avoid congestion.

Construction is expected to start in 2019.