World’s First Full-Scale Ship Tunnel To Be Built

Norway is making maritime history by constructing the world’s first full-scale ship tunnel, a 1.7-km passage cutting through the treacherous Stad Peninsula.

The $400 million project will provide a safe route past the Stadhavet Sea—one of Norway’s most dangerous waterways, notorious for its deadly currents and violent storms.

Six international contractors, including companies from Norway, China, France, and Spain, are competing for the massive design-build contract.

The tunnel will stand 50 meters high and 36 meters wide—big enough for large vessels like Hurtigruten and Kystruten to pass through safely.

Over the past 80 years, 33 lives have been lost to shipwrecks in these unpredictable waters. This tunnel will finally provide a safe passage for vessels.

One of the biggest engineering challenges will be constructing the massive tunnel entrances—each seven times the height of a standard road tunnel.

If all goes as planned, construction will begin in 2026, marking a new era in maritime safety and making Norway the home of the world’s first ship tunnel!