The ship tunnel planned in Norway will not be built by a consortium from China. The tender will be continued with four remaining applicants.
The ship tunnel in Vanylvsfjorden will be built where the Norwegian peninsula of Stad is at its narrowest, between Moldefjorden and Kjødepollen. A 1.7 km long, 50 m high and 36 m wide connection is planned, which can be used by ships on the mail boat route, among others.
The aim of the Stad Ship Tunnel is to improve accessibility and safety for sea transportation. According to the Coastal Administration, the Stad peninsula is the most weather-exposed and dangerous stretch of sea along the Norwegian coast.
Six construction companies had applied for pre-qualification for the construction. However, the two Chinese consortia have now been eliminated from the competition. Only four other companies remain in the competition. These are two Norwegian bidders, a French company and a Norwegian-Spanish consortium.
Construction work on the Stad Ship Tunnel will start in 2026
According to the Norwegian coastal administration Kystverket, the two excluded Chinese bidders lack sufficient experience. This includes work with grouting in very hard rock as well as the planning and execution of water and frost protection, explained Einar Vik Arset, Director of the Coastal Administration.
The work on the Stad Ship Tunnel was put out to tender as a turnkey contract. “We have examined the interested bidders in detail and are pleased that we can now propose four solid groups of contractors in the competition to build the world’s first ship tunnel,” says Arset.
The four remaining qualified bidders have been invited to a meeting on March 10 and 11 in Stadlandet, Norway. There they will receive further information about the project, including a tour of the areas surrounding the ship tunnel. “The aim of the meeting is to highlight the challenges and risk factors and answer questions,” explains Johnsen.
The first bids must be submitted by June 1. These will then be evaluated before the best offer is selected. The contract should then be signed in the fall of 2025 before construction starts in 2026. Construction is expected to take around five years. (CE)
