The new project manager for Stad ship tunnel, Harald Johnsen, flanked by the director of development in Statens vegvesen, Kjell Inge Davik (left) and coastal director Einar Vik Arset.

For ten years, project manager Harald Inge Johnsen in Statens vegvesen (the Norwegian Public Roads Administration) has been planning the Møreaksen. Now he has been loaned to Kystverket (the Norwegian Coastal Administration) to help build the Stad ship tunnel.

Johnsen joins as project manager in Kystverket project organization, equally subordinate to the project owner, coastal director Einar Vik Arset.

- We are now at a stage where we must strengthen our organization before the upcoming tender round and later the start of construction. With Harald Johnsen, and the access to other resources from Statens Vegvesen, we have put in place heavy tunneling and tendering expertise, which will complement Kystverket's own resources and benefit the City ship tunnel project, says coastal director Arset.

Free capacity when Møreaksen was put on hold

E39 Vik-Molde was fully planned, and was waiting for the start signal to start construction. Instead, the project was put on hold when the Storting (Norway's Parliament) adopted NTP 2025-2036 in June.

- It was a big disappointment, admits the experienced tunnel builder.

Now Johnsen will use 35 years of tunneling and project experience from Statens vegvesen to build the world's first ship tunnel. Before that, Kystverket must select a contractor.

State cooperation

- Kystverket's project organization has done a good job with planning and preparations for the call for tenders. Now we are expanding the project organisation, and together we are putting all our efforts into finalizing the competition basis and the process further to choose the best contractor to build the ship tunnel, says Johnsen.

He receives support from coastal director Einar Vik Arset.

- Together with the Kystverket's own project staff and the extensive professional expertise we otherwise have in the agency, the collaboration with Staten vegvesen will overall ensure sufficient expertise and capacity for the implementation of the ship tunnel project, says Arset.

Experienced people

Johnsen takes another engineering geologist from Statens vegvesen to the ship tunnel. Arild Gjerde has worked together with Johnsen on projects in Statens vegvesen since 2008. Gjerde was intended as project manager for the 15 kilometer long two-lane tunnel under the Romsdalsfjord. Previously, he managed the tunnel section of the new E6 in Soknedal, which opened in 2020.

Now he will be one of two project managers for the ship tunnel.

Statens vegvesen lends out parts of the staff who have worked with Møreaksen. These are to be incorporated into Kystverket's project organisation. From the barrack rig at Lade in Trondheim, Johnsen's staff has worked on one of the longest underwater tunnels in the world and Northern Europe's longest suspension bridge, among other things.

Johnsen will also draw professional support from two of the leading geological experts in Norway: Anders Beitnes and Bjørn Nilsen. They have previously participated in an expert group for the underwater Romsdalsfjord tunnel.

Contract and market

The Stad ship tunnel project will use proven methods to select the best contractor to build the ship tunnel. With the support of procurement experts in Statens vegvesen, the project management will run the process of selecting the right contractor. COWI is involved as consulting engineers.

Initially, Kystverket will run a competition with negotiations, where three to five contractors advance in the competition after pre-qualification. Johnsen nevertheless keeps the door open for them to choose a contractor already after initial clarification meetings with the participants in the competition and first price offers. It will therefore be important that the contractors who will take part in the competition deliver pointed and good offers straight away.

Bid conference before Christmas

There will now be an offer conference before Christmas. The aim is to be able to choose a contractor in summer/autumn 2025. This requires that an offer is obtained within the cost framework for the project.

What will be the biggest challenge in building the ship tunnel?

- The size of the elements on the tunnel. It will be the same size as the tunnel space inside, i.e. 50 meters high and around 40 meters wide. It is about seven times higher than a road tunnel, says Johnsen.

More about Harald Johnsen

Harald Johnsen is a civil engineer from the old NTH. Since the Hvalertunnelen, opened in 1989, the engineering geologist has worked on tunnels such as the Nordbytunnelen on the E6 south of Oslo, with current road director Ingrid Dahls Hovland as construction manager. In 2014, the Strindheim tunnel opened on rv. 706 in Trondheim. Johnsen was the project manager and, among other things, had to deal with very demanding ground conditions with a 20 meter thick layer of quick clay with old listed buildings on Møllenberg.

- It was very demanding. If we made a mistake, we could at worst risk that a residential area would slip into the fjord. Together with several good consultants and contractors, we reached the goal. It was NCC that had the contract for quick clay, while Skanska built most of the rock tunnels, says Johnsen.

In recent years, he has led the work to rehabilitate about ten tunnels in Trøndelag, as well as the E6 Soknedal and new ferry quays at the Trondheimsfjord. In addition to the ten years on the Møreaksen, E39 Ålesund – Molde.

Translated from Kystverket press release.