Construction of the world’s first shipping tunnel has been given the go ahead with state funding coming in for the highly debated engineering work. The 1.7 km Stad tunnel is located on a treacherous part of Norway’s west coast where a number of ships have foundered over the years. The Norwegian Coastal Administration (Kystverket) will compete a tender process this year with construction to start on the Stad Ship Tunnel in 2022 ahead of a planned opening in 2025 or 2026. The tunnel will allow vessels to transit directly between the Norwegian Sea to the north and the North Sea to the south while remaining within fjord waters, which will ensure year-round safe passage for ships transiting between Bergen and Alesund. The 45 m high, 36 m wide tunnel will traverse under a 645 m mountain and will be able to accommodate ships with a draft of 12 m. Video