Road tunnels are common, but what about a tunnel in the sea through which ships can pass? Well, Norway is planning to build one.
Norway plans to build the world’s first sea tunnel for ships, which will pass through a mountain (the Stad peninsula) in western Norway. The Stadhavet Sea is the most exposed and dangerous area along the coast of Norway.
The sea tunnel has been planned to avoid the storm-battered, dangerous waters, which even intimidated the Vikings.
The tunnel will be a mile-long and 118-feet-wide.
Norwegian transport minister Ketil Solvik-Olsen said: ‘The Stad tunnel for boats will finally be built. The government is now ensuring a safer and more reliable passage of the most dangerous and harsh waters for the transport of goods along the Norwegian coasts.”
#Norway is building the world's first ship tunnel, a mile long! The fjords the limit! https://t.co/ZLakiTJG8b
— Kåre R. Aas (@kareraas) April 7, 2017
But what if two ships come head-to-head? It will be taken care of by be traffic lights. “We are going to follow the usual standard with red and white lights to show when it is safe to pass,” said the team.
Fierce winds off the peninsular force ships to wait before they are able to continue journeys. Even talented sailors such as the Vikings preferred to avoid these waters and chose to transport their boats by land.
While tunnels for boats exits around the world (such as Canal du Midi in France), this will be first tunnel that will accommodate large ships, including the iconic Bergen-Kirkenes Coastal Express, which connects the Nordic nation’s south and north.
