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The Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands suggests that Shetland could stimulate economic growth and revitalize island communities by mirroring his nation’s strategy of replacing aging ferries with subsea tunnels.
The Shetland Islands Council has announced it is advancing plans to construct tunnels connecting four of the archipelago’s outlying islands, including Unst, the UK’s northernmost inhabited island.
“We have learned in the Faroe Islands that investment in infrastructure is a sound investment,” Aksel Johannesen stated to BBC News.
The Shetland Islands Council anticipates that the multi-million-pound project will be financed through borrowing, with repayment facilitated by toll revenues, potentially establishing a novel transportation model for other Scottish islands.
Critics argue that Scottish politicians have spent years discussing tunnels, while the Faroes, located nearly 200 miles further into the Atlantic, have successfully implemented them.
“It is frustrating,” commented Anne Anderson of Scottish Sea Farms, a salmon producer employing nearly 700 individuals in Scotland, with approximately 300 based in Shetland.
The island chain accounts for a quarter of all Scottish salmon production – the UK’s most valuable food export, achieving international sales of £844 million in 2024.
“A decade ago, Scottish salmon held 10 percent of the global market share. Today, we are approaching five percent,” Ms. Anderson noted, attributing this decline, in part, to insufficient investment in public infrastructure.
She advocates that the UK should draw inspiration from the Faroes.
“Identify their successful strategies, replicate them, and expedite the process,” Ms. Anderson urged.
Tunnel construction in the Faroes dates back to the 1960s.
The 18 islands comprising the self-governing nation under Danish sovereignty are interconnected by 23 tunnels, including four subsea tunnels.
Further construction is underway.
The most impressive is an 11.4km tunnel connecting Streymoy Island to two points on a fjord on Eysturoy Island.
It features the world’s only undersea roundabout.
Reaching a depth of 187m below sea level, it has halved travel time between the capital, Tórshavn, and the second-largest town, Klaksvik.
Speaking from his grass-roofed office overlooking Tórshavn’s bustling harbor, Johannesen stated that tunnels have facilitated population and economic growth in the archipelago, home to approximately 54,000 residents, compared to Shetland’s 23,000.
“It’s a matter of ambition,” stated Andy Sloan, a tunnel builder whose company participated in the Faroese tunnel project.
He added that the islands have pioneered the connection of an archipelago in the North Atlantic through dedication and perseverance.
“They have delivered a remarkable piece of infrastructure,” said Mr. Sloan, Executive Vice-President of engineering firm COWI.
COWI is currently advising the Shetland Islands Council on the technical and financial aspects of tunnel construction.
The Faroese tunnels were built using the drill and blast technique, where explosives are placed in drilled rock and the debris is removed, a method Mr. Sloan believes could also be applied in Scotland.
“Shetland can undoubtedly replicate the achievements of these islands,” he added.
Professor Erika Anne Hayfield, Dean of the Faculty of History and Social Sciences at the University of the Faroe Islands, affirmed the significant benefits of the tunnels.
“People can reside and prosper in smaller communities” while fully engaging in island life and commuting to “the central labor market” in Tórshavn, she explained.
“In the long term, regarding demographics and social sustainability, many island residents believe it is essential,” Professor Hayfield added.
However, she acknowledged the controversy surrounding the cost of certain tunnels, with some Faroese arguing that they are being built at the expense of investments in schools and hospitals.
Shetland’s main town, Lerwick, may be closer to Tórshavn than Edinburgh, and closer to Copenhagen than London. Nonetheless, advocates of tunnels insist that the islands are not a remote backwater but an advanced economy hindered by inadequate infrastructure.
The archipelago of 100 islands, situated at the convergence of the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, boasts the UK’s only spaceport and a thriving fishing industry.
“We land more fish in Shetland than in the entirety of England, Northern Ireland, and Wales,” stated council leader Emma Macdonald.
“Tunnels could be incredibly transformative,” she continued.
Macdonald added, “We’re really excited about the opportunity.”
The 20th-century oil and gas boom brought prosperity to Shetland. However, the islands have since embraced the transition to renewable energy and are home to the UK’s most productive onshore wind farm.
“Shetland’s really integral to Scotland and to the wider UK,” Macdonald stated.
The council has authorized a £990,000 feasibility study into constructing tunnels to four islands – Unst, Yell, Bressay, and Whalsay.
An estimated construction cost has not yet been released.
“Tunnels would truly open up this island for businesses,” said Elizabeth Johnson, External Affairs Manager of Saxavord Spaceport on Unst.
She added that they would “enhance the economic viability of the island.”
With neither the Scottish nor UK governments offering to fund Shetland’s tunnels, the Faroese funding model of borrowing repaid through tolls is likely to be adopted.
“I think people recognize that there is probably a need for tolling, and I think people understand that,” Macdonald said.
She added, “They already have to pay to go on the ferries.”
Currently, the council operates ferry services to nine islands, transporting around 750,000 passengers annually on 12 vessels at a cost of £23 million per year.
The average age of the fleet is 31.5 years, costs have risen significantly in the past decade, and some routes are struggling to meet demand for vehicle spaces.
Hebridean and Clyde ferries, operating off the west coast of Scotland by the Scottish government-owned Caledonian MacBrayne, are also aging and have been plagued by issues.
Mr. Sloan believes tunnels could provide more reliable transport links for the west coast as well as the Northern Isles.
“Frankly, it can be replicated in Shetland, and not just Shetland, potentially elsewhere in Scotland.”
Mr. Sloan agrees that tolls represent the most feasible funding option.
Tolls were eliminated on the Skye Bridge in 2004 following a prolonged campaign of non-payment and were abolished on the Forth and Tay road bridges in 2008.
However, Ms. Johnson of the Saxavord Spaceport anticipates that Shetlanders would be willing to contribute financially.
“I don’t think anyone I’ve spoken to would be against tolls,” she stated.
While there is no organized opposition to tunnels in Shetland, some locals express concerns regarding the potential impact on the unique island identity.
Pat Burns operates the northernmost shop in the British Isles, The Final Checkout on Unst.
Initially, she was not convinced about the merits of tunnels, fearing they would alter the essence of island life.
“I enjoy the challenges of navigating from point A to point B,” she explained.
However, after years of worrying about adverse weather disrupting supplies to her shop and witnessing tourists turned away due to fully booked ferries, her perspective has shifted.
“I was a bit uncertain about it before,” she said, “but now I realize that if Unst doesn’t get a tunnel, the challenge is going to be too significant.”
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