Skip to main content

NCC picks up Eysturoy and Sandoy tunnel contracts in the Faroes

Swedish construction company NCC has signed a contract to build two sub-sea road tunnels in the Faroe Islands, an archipelago north of Scotland. The first project – the Eysturoy Tunnel between Eysturoy and Streymoy - will cost around €152 million. The value of second one – the Sandoy Tunnel between Streymoy and Sandoy – will cost about €120 million, but there is an option for the government-owned client, P/F Eystur- och Sandoyartunlar (EST), not to proceed. The government created the company, Eystur – og
November 15, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Sub-sea roundabout in planned Eysturoy Tunnel
Swedish construction company 5211 NCC has signed a contract to build two sub-sea road tunnels in the Faroe Islands, an archipelago north of Scotland.

The first project – the Eysturoy Tunnel between Eysturoy and Streymoy - will cost around €152 million.

The value of second one – the Sandoy Tunnel between Streymoy and Sandoy – will cost about €120 million, but there is an option for the government-owned client, P/F Eystur- och Sandoyartunlar (EST), not to proceed.

The government created the company, Eystur – og Sandoyartunlar, specifically to construct the two subsea tunnels, including connecting road and to operate the tunnels, in addition to any other business related to the activity.

The rugged Faroe Islands are where the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean meet, and lie halfway between Norway and Iceland - 320km north-northwest of mainland Scotland.

They cover around 1,400km² with a population of close to 50,000 and are an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark. The Faroes have a sub-polar oceanic climate but temperatures often remain above freezing in winter due to the Gulf Stream of warm water flowing up from the far-off Caribbean.

The country’s six main islands, with around 90% of the population, are connected by road. There are also 17 land tunnels. The various islands are connected by two underwater tunnels, in addition to three bridges and seven ferry lines.

The 11km Eysturoy Tunnel will connect the towns of Skálafjørður and Tórshavn. According to the company, the tunnel will run under the Bay of Skálafjørður using two tunnels that connect to a roundabout under the seabed at mid-way. In order to increase safety, no inclination in the tunnel will be steeper than 5% and the lowest point is to be 187m below sea level.

The 10.6km Sandoy tunnel will connect the island of Sandoy to the greater part of the Faroese infrastructure. Lowest point will be 157m below sea level and, similar to the Eysturoy tunnel, the steepest inclination will be 5%.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Denmark concerned over rising cost of Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link
    February 19, 2015
    The Danish government is in talks with contractors over the latest rise in cost estimates for the proposed prestigious Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link between Denmark and Germany. Contractors have estimated an extra €295.5 million will be needed. This is in addition to a statement last November by the contracting company Femern saying that costs had risen nearly €900 million. The total rise price hike is nearly €1.2 billion. This puts the final cost of the 18km tunnel including two railway tunnels, two motorway tun
  • VIDEO: Norway’s Atlantic Ocean Road is “ultimate summer drive”
    July 20, 2016
    Norway’s twisting and sea-battered Atlantic Ocean Road is the “Ultimate Summer Drive”, with Portugal’s Estoril Ocean Drive close behind, research has found. In third place was Lake Como, Italy, followed in fourth place by the Peloponnesus in Greece. Fifth ultimate summer drive was a Scottish Highland drive The North Coast 500, as pictured below. The 8.3km Atlantic Ocean Road was judged to be best according to a statistical formula developed for Tom Tom. The road has a blend of spectacular views, quali
  • Danish-German Fehmarn Belt road and rail tunnel hits funding snag
    July 9, 2015
    A Danish newspaper has learned of a significant European Union funding gap for one of Europe’s most ambitious transportation road and rail projects. The Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link would connect the German island of Fehmarn with the Danish island of Lolland. A submersed tunnel will cross the 18km-wide Fehmarn Belt, or Fehmarn Strait, in the Baltic Sea. Last February news emerged that contractors had revamped their cost estimates, adding nearly €1.2 billion to the project. This put the final cost of the 18
  • Five consortia line up for Denmark’s new Storstrøm Bridge project
    June 18, 2015
    The Danish government has shortlisted five consortia for construction of a new Storstrøm Bridge to replace an aging structure. The cost of the bridge connecting the Danish islands of Zealand and Falstser amounts to nearly €563 million (US$625.7 million) and the bridge will be financed by the government's Infrastructure Fund. Companies that qualified for the project are a joint venture consisting of Vinci Construction Grand ProjectsSAS, Hochtief Infrastructure GmbH and MT Højgaard; the consortium of St