The Faroese tunnel project has a total value of NOK 2.5 billion and will comprise two subsea tunnels of 11.2 and 10.5 kilometers.

“There’s a great deal of heavy machinery and other equipment involved in this kind of large tunnel project. In this case, several hundred tons needed to be freighted from our machinery store, driven or lifted on board the cargo ship, and secured for the crossing. Thanks to the good cooperation we’ve had with everyone involved, the process has been trouble-free,” says Rune Vik, Head of Plant & Equipment at NCC.

Around 700 tons of equipment has been loaded on to the Faroese cargo ship M/V Eystnes in the Norwegian port of Drammen. The ship will sail for the Faroes in the next few days, stopping in Skien to take on a further 200 tons in the form of 28 temporary dwellings for those working on the project.

The Faroes’ largest-ever infrastructure project

The tunnels will link the islands of Stromoy and Eysturoy, and Stromoy and Sandoy, to the rest of the Faroese road network. A government company has been established to manage the project. 

NCC will construct the Eysturoy Tunnel first, with boring work starting on the Sandoy Tunnel once the first tunnel is finished. The aim of the tunnels is to improve the mobility for local residents, businesses and public bodies. Several thousand people will benefit from reduced journey times of up to 1.5 hours, which will boost the business community and society as a whole. Once the tunnels are in place, more than half of the islands’ residents will live within an area with virtually negligible travelling distances. Among other things, public services will be accessible where this has not previously been the case.

NCC has solid experience of building tunnels in the Faroes, having built the Vaga and Nordoya Tunnels in the early 2000s. Several of the key people who will be working on the project were involved in building the two previous tunnels.

A first cargo ship loaded with several hundred tons of tunneling machinery and equipment has set course for the Eysturoy and Sandoy Tunnels project in the Faroes. Up to three cargo ships will carry equipment to the group of islands over the coming months.