The Faroese government remains fully committed to building the Suðuroy undersea tunnel to connect the southernmost island of the archipelago to the mainland, said Jacob Vestergaard, minister of Trade and Industry.
In reply to a query from MP Jenis av Rana, Mr. Vestergaard noted that he welcomed the wide backing in the Løgting (Faroese parliament) earlier this year, for the bill on preparing and tendering the tunnel. He added that the government has “no intention to change the law,” that “the course is set” for the construction of the Suðuroy Tunnel, and that the goal is to give all residents of the Faroes equal opportunities to live, work, and travel safely across the islands.
The Minister of Trade and Industry further noted that the preliminary project plan for the 24.3-kilometer subsea tunnel has been updated to include a connection to the small island of Skúvoy south of Sandoy.
“The Minister welcomes the broad support that the bill regarding the preparation, detailed design, and tendering of the Suðuroy tunnel—along with its associated tunnel and road networks—received in the Løgting on February 25th, 2026,” Mr. Vestergaard stated in his reply earlier today.
“There is no intention to change the law. The course is set; there will be a fixed road link between Suðuroy and the mainland. Faroese people shall be given equal standing and be linked together in one road network. You should be able to live, work, and thrive across the entire country, and travel quickly and safely everywhere.”
“The work on preparing the Suðuroy Tunnel is progressing as planned,” the Minister said. “The preliminary project for the undersea tunnel has been updated, as specified in the law, by among other things connecting Skúvoy to the project. On May 21st, 2026, Suðuroyartunnil P/F sent an application to Landsverk [Faroese Road Directorate] to approve the preliminary project. Landsverk is continuously working on the matter, together with technical experts, to approve the preliminary project.”
“Once Landsverk has approved the preliminary project, the detailed design of the undersea tunnel can begin,” Mr. Vestergaard said. “The detailed design phase is estimated to take about one year. The preliminary projects for the roads and tunnels on land are, according to the plan, to be sent to Landsverk for approval this autumn.”
“Investigations are still being carried out regarding the environmental impacts resulting from the project,” he said. “The assessment report will hopefully be completed around the turn of the year, at which point it will be sent to Umhvørvisstovan [Faroese Environment Agency] for further processing. The remaining geological investigations are underway. For example, drillings on Skálafjall for the new Sandvík tunnel have been completed, and drillings on Sandarfløttur have also been carried out. A drilling in connection with the new Skálavík tunnel through Traðarhamar is currently underway. Furthermore, the company Vikmar is currently conducting supplementary surveys of the seabed in Skúvoyarfjørður and Suðuroyarfjørður.”
“The project must be fully prepared and the necessary permits obtained,” Mr. Vestergaard added. “Afterwards, the project will be designed in detail and put out to tender. Once the bids have been received, and a clearer understanding of what the total cost will be is established, the Minister will, as soon as possible, present a bill to the Løgting to construct the Suðuroy tunnel along with its associated tunnels and roads.”