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Headline: Norway Wants To Build The World's First Ever Ship Tunnel

Caption: **SUPPORTING VIDEOS AVAILABLE. CONTACT COVER IMAGES TO RECEIVE.** The Stad Peninsula in Norway has one of the most dangerous coastlines in the region. As the meeting place between the Norwegian Sea and North Sea, the turbulent waters have claimed the lives of dozens sailors over the last several decades. Norway’s top coastal agency now plans to dig a $272 million, mile-long “ship tunnel” to create a safer passage for commercial vessels. Designed to accommodate ships as massive as Norway’s Hurtigruten cruise vessels, the tunnel would be nearly 150 feet tall, 118 feet wide, and more than a mile long. The Norwegian Parliament earmarked 1 billion Norwegian kroner, or around $118 million, for the project in the National Transport Plan for 2014–2023. Construction is set to begin as early as 2018. The coastal administration estimates that approximately 7.5 million tons of blasted rock would need to be removed, which could take up to four years to complete. Ships might access the tunnel from the north in Selje, with southern access via the Moldefjord. This is where the Stad Peninsula is at its narrowest. The current proposal for the tunnel incorporates a bridge near the southern access so pedestrians can glimpse ships as they pass by. The Stad Ship Tunnel, as proposed by the Norwegian Coastal Administration, may never break ground, but Norway’s tourism industry is already stumping for the idea. The Norwegian Coastal Administration said: “The Stadhavet Sea is the most exposed, most dangerous area along the coast of Norway. The aim of this project is to allow ships to navigate more safely through Stad.” VisitNorway.com says the architecture firm Snøhetta put together these renderings as part of a photo project targeted toward politicians to help them make a decision.

Keywords: feature,photo feature,photo story,design,boat,ship,tunnel,through,under,water

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