A tunnel through the mountain for seagoing ships? Norway gets to work

In this way, the Norwegians want to avoid the open sea off the coast of Stadlandet, which is considered one of the most dangerous sea areas in this country. Is it worth it?

The mountain tunnel for seagoing ships is a pioneering investment. Norwegians were the first to attempt it in the world. The Norwegian Coastal Authority (Kystverket) entrusted the construction to AF Gruppen. The value of the contract was originally estimated at 5.6 billion Norwegian kroner, i.e. approximately PLN 2.2 billion.

For comparison: the construction of a shipping canal through the Vistula Spit (the so-called ditch) together with the accompanying infrastructure has so far cost over PLN 2 billion and this is not the end. Work on deepening the waterway on the Elbląg River is still ongoing. Initially, the investment was valued at approximately PLN 880 million.

The Norwegians will dig a tunnel. The government’s rescue investment

Work in Norway is scheduled to start in early 2027. Construction is expected to last approximately 5 years. The Stad tunnel is to be 1,800 meters long. Kystverket reported that the tunnel opening will be approximately 20 times larger than that of a road tunnel – it will be 37 meters wide.

What problem will building the tunnel solve for Norwegians? It’s about improving safety. The completed tunnel will protect ships from strong winds, sea currents and gigantic waves, which often force crews to wait in ports for the weather to improve.

This will also improve the regularity and punctuality of sea freight connections and ferry routes. The tunnel will be able to be used by vessels with a tonnage of up to 16,000 gross tons and a length of up to 140 meters.

The idea of a tunnel did not enjoy much support in Norway, mainly due to costs. The original estimates were 4.1 billion crowns (approximately PLN 1.6 billion). However, after contractors submitted the first offers, the cost increased to CZK 8.6 billion, and according to some estimates, even to CZK 10 billion (from PLN 3.35 billion to PLN 3.9 billion). The Labor government considered abandoning the project in May.

The decision changed after the opposition of the peasant Center Party, which made the matter clear – without continuing the construction of the tunnel, it would not support the government in voting on the revised budget, and this could result in dismissal.

This way, construction will continue, although government calculations show that the project may be unprofitable from the beginning. The costs are expected to be almost four times higher than the expected benefits.

Poland has a dug spit. The flagship project of the PiS government

Digging the spit in Poland – a flagship investment of the PiS government, was supposed to make Polish shipping independent from Russia. Previously, to enter the Vistula Lagoon into the Baltic Sea and vice versa, ships had to use the Piława Strait, which is controlled by the Russian side. The new route shortened the route for ships sailing from the Vistula Lagoon to ports in the Tricity (and deep into the Baltic Sea) by approximately 100 km.

However, it is not all rosy. “The lock mechanism is breaking down, there are problems with the turntables of two bridges, and the breakwater is breaking. There are smaller or larger problems every second time the lock is opened,” the money.pl website reported in March.

The canal through the Vistula Spit was put into operation on September 17, 2022. Since then, it has been open to navigation, but is mainly used by recreational vessels. In 2025, the European Commission agreed that investments in the port in Elbląg would be financed from EU funds. It concerns PLN 200 million from the regional program European Funds for Warmia and Mazury for 2021-27. The port in Elbląg is waiting for the deepening of the last fragment of the waterway on the Elbląg River.

– Currently, transshipment in the port of Elbląg is at a minimal level due to EU trade sanctions and lack of availability in the port – port director Arkadiusz Zgliński told PAP.

In 2025, a total of 1,340 vessels passed through the shipping canal and the lock on the Vistula Spit, including 1,037 recreational vessels. Plus: