Supports the Stad ship tunnel

On Friday 9^thof September, the Stadland Ship Tunnel Conference was held on board Havila Castor, while she sailed into the beautiful Hjørundfjord for the first time. The conference was organized by the steering group for development work around the Stad ship tunnel and the growth companies in the three municipalities of Stad, Kinn and Vanylven.

The aim of the conference was to focus on the opportunities the ship tunnel will provide for moving passenger transport and goods to sea, improving safety, regularity, and punctuality. Several speakers were brought in for the conference to talk about green shipping, the Ålesund-Bergen express boat connection, the creation of value in the seafood industry and how the Stad ship tunnel and the Stadland can become an international tourism icon.

TV profile and weather forecaster Eli Kari Gjengedal led the participants through the programme, which had speakers and representatives from the government, county municipalities, the Coastal Administration, MaritimeCleanTech, Mowi, Norled, FjordTours, Norsk Reiseliv, NHO Vestland, Havila Kystruten and others.

The conference was opened early in the morning by Havila Castor sailing into the Moldefjord to Eide, where the planned Stad ship tunnel will be, and ended after an eventful day with dinner on board Havila Castor before departure in Ålesund on Friday evening.

Stad ship tunnel a positive move

Havila Kystruten is positive about the construction of the Stad ship tunnel, which will create a shipping alternative to going around Stad.

“The Stad ship tunnel will increase maritime safety around the Stadland, which is among the most weather-exposed areas along the coastal route we sail every day”, says CEO Bent Martini of Havila Kystruten.

“At the same time, we believe that sailing through the Stad ship tunnel will be a tourism experience that is quite unique in the world, and of course we will sail completely emission-free on pure battery power when we sail through the tunnel”.

The sea outside Stad is called Stadhavet and is a body of water with demanding wave conditions for shipping 90 to 110 days a year. High seas with wave reflections from land make maneuvering conditions difficult. Stadhavet is therefore known as one of the most weather-resistant places along the Norwegian coast.

Primarily a maritime security measure

The Norwegian Coastal Administration is responsible for all digital and physical infrastructure along the Norwegian coast, which is the world's second longest after Canada. It is also the project owner for the Stad ship tunnel.

“We are working to ensure that the Norwegian coast is the safest and cleanest in the whole world. Projects such as the Stad ship tunnel are important measures to realise our goals. The consumption of fuel increases significantly in high seas, and by sailing in brackish waters in the ship tunnel, we will reduce the consumption of ship traffic in the area”, says coastal director Einar Vik Arset.

“Stad ship tunnel is primarily a sea safety measure, which I also think will be an experience in itself”.

“Could become Western Norway's North Cape”

Per Sævik, chairman of the board at Havila Kystruten, believes that the market importance of a ship tunnel at Stad cannot be valued highly enough, and that the positive ripple effects for the tourism industry and the local community will be far-reaching.

“The tunnel, Selja Kloster and Stadtplatået, in my opinion, could become the North Cape of Western Norway. Managed well, we have a unique opportunity. In terms of the market, the Stad ship tunnel can hardly be valued highly enough for the importance it can have”, concludes Sævik.