Following an extensive tender process, it was announced in June that AF Gruppen had submitted the best offer for the design-and-build contract for the Stad Ship Tunnel. The contract was signed today at the Norwegian Coastal Administration’s offices in Ålesund.
“This is a historic day. The Stad Ship Tunnel is a project that has been planned and discussed for many decades, and we have now reached the point where we can sign the contract with the contractor that will build the tunnel. We look forward to close and constructive cooperation with AF Gruppen over the next five to six years,” says Director General of the Norwegian Coastal Administration Einar Vik Arset.
The signing of the contract marks an important milestone on the way towards construction starting.
“We are very pleased to have an experienced Norwegian contractor on board. We are now entering a new and important phase of the project. Together, we will realise what will be the world’s first full-scale ship tunnel, providing a safer and more predictable sea route past Stad,” says Vik Arset.
The contract is a design-and-build contract with a value of approximately NOK 5.6 billion excluding VAT. This means that AF Gruppen is responsible for both the design and construction of the Stad Ship Tunnel.
For AF Gruppen, the project is a construction assignment out of the ordinary.
“It is not often that we, as a design-and-build contractor, have the opportunity to take on such a unique construction project, with a high level of local, national and international interest. We appreciate the trust placed in us by the Norwegian Coastal Administration and look forward to good cooperation throughout the implementation of this project,” says Ivar Galaaen, Director of AF Anlegg.
1.7 kilometres through the Stad peninsula
The Stad Ship Tunnel will run through the Stad peninsula, from Kjødepollen in the Vanylvsfjord to Moldefjorden near Selje. The tunnel itself will be 1,700 metres long, 50 metres high and 36 metres wide.
In addition to excavating the tunnel itself, the contract includes, among other things, the construction of entrance and guiding structures at the tunnel portals, development of commercial areas around the portal areas, transport of excavated rock to external recipients, rock support and safety measures, fendering and technical installations in the tunnel. The contract also includes deepening the navigation channel in Saltasundet near Selje.
The actual tunnel construction will not start until after the New Year. However, the parties will meet tomorrow for collaboration meetings.
“We have no time to lose if we are to achieve our goal of starting construction early in 2027. We are now entering a collaboration phase in which we will establish effective working procedures, review solutions and identify and address potential challenges ahead of the start of construction,” says Vik Arset.
At the same time, AF Gruppen is working on detailed design and preparations for its deliveries.
“Today is an important milestone for the project, and we are very much looking forward to entering the collaboration phase with the Norwegian Coastal Administration and our other partners, getting to know each other and the project better. Over the coming weeks and months, we will prepare thoroughly for the start of construction, begin detailed design and carry out certain preparatory works before the main construction works begin in the new year,” says AF project manager Erik Frogner.
Decision by the Norwegian Parliament
On 19 June, the Norwegian Parliament approved a new cost framework (P85) for the Stad Ship Tunnel of NOK 8.588 billion including VAT. The decision provided the Norwegian Coastal Administration with the basis for proceeding with the contract and implementation of the project.
Once completed, vessels the size of those operated by the Coastal Express and Hurtigruten will be able to sail through the Stad peninsula instead of navigating around the exposed stretch of sea. The aim is to provide maritime transport with a safer and more predictable passage past Stad.
Construction is scheduled to start early in 2027, with the construction period estimated at approximately five years.