Shetland tunnel studies: contractor input on design, cost and risk for engineers
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan
First reported on The Construction Index
30 Second Briefing
Norwegian contractor LNS and Austrian firms BeMo and Strabag have been appointed to review and evaluate a reference design for a subsea fixed link in Shetland, using the Yell Sound crossing as the initial test case within a new Fixed Link Model. Consulting engineers Cowi and Stantec will use the contractors’ site visits and constructability input to refine cost, programme and construction risk data for a single tunnel taken to scheme design level. Findings will feed into the Inter-island Transport Connectivity Outline Business Case in summer 2026, covering eight island routes and potential funding structures.
Technical Brief
- Fixed Link Model uses the Yell Sound corridor specifically because it offers the widest variable set for modelling.
- Three tunnelling contractors engaged are LNS (Norway), BeMo (Austria) and Strabag (Austria), all with UK experience.
- Cowi and Stantec will draw on contractors’ site visits to refine constructability, logistics and risk assumptions.
- Council explicitly wants to test contractors’ appetite for future subsea tunnel procurement and long-term engagement structures.
- Financial support mechanisms from contractors or third parties are being explored alongside pure capex/opex estimates.
- A single tunnel option has already been progressed to scheme design, providing a defined baseline for cost benchmarking.
- Councillors will select preferred options for eight separate island routes in one programme decision round in summer 2026.
Our Take
BeMo’s appearance here alongside Strabag echoes its role in the Ferrovial BEMO JV on National Grid’s Grain–Tilbury cable tunnel, signalling that Shetland Islands Council is tapping contractors with very current UK hard-rock tunnelling and shaft-sinking experience.
With the Yell Sound crossing framed as potentially the council’s most significant decision in 50 years and studies running to summer 2026, this sits at the more strategic end of our 144 Infrastructure stories, closer to long-horizon regional reshaping than to routine road or bridge renewals.
The mix of Nordic (LNS, Cowi) and central European (Strabag, BeMo) contractors and designers suggests Shetland is deliberately importing expertise from countries with extensive subsea and inter-island tunnel networks, which could influence design standards and risk appetite compared with typical mainland UK schemes.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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