NORWAY TO BUILD A MASSIVE TUNNEL FOR SHIPS

The Norwegian government has given the go-ahead for construction to begin on a tunnel made exclusively for ships. And when we say "given the go-ahead", we mean they’ve agreed to pay the $325 million bill it’s going to take to build this tunnel.

If all goes to plan, construction will start in 2022 and, hopefully, everything will be done by 2025 or 2026.

So, why the big and expensive tunnel? Not only is the western coast of Norway unbelievably stunning, which means cruise ships are very common here, but it is an important route for cargo ships.

Norway is massive on exporting fish and it’s believed this market will grow even more over the next couple of years.

OK, so obviously there are a lot of ships, both cruise liners and cargo ships using the route, but still, why the big and expensive tunnel to go through mountains instead of the usual water route?

The short answer? Mother Nature. You see, winds and storms are known to have created havoc on this route, and have caused major damage to ships and passengers in the dangerous waters of Stad. Even the Vikings used to sail to this region. But, they would get off their ships and move them across the land, then, when they got to the other side, hopped on their ships and sailed off into the sunset. That’s how bad this route can get when Mother Nature is in a bad mood.

According to Forbes, the tunnel will be 1.7 kilometres long and large enough to allow cargo vessels and most ships in the coastal voyage fleet to pass through. However, many cruise ships will still be too large for the tunnel, with a height of 37 metres and 26.5 metres in width.

Watch the B1M video below to see how this massive ship tunnel will be constructed in Norway.