The Faroe Islands, a remote part of the Danish Kingdom, boast an extensive network of roads and numerous tunnels. Despite the low population density, infrastructure projects are crucial, and more tunnels are continuously being constructed. During the construction of the new Fámjins road tunnel on Suðuroy, the southernmost island, the project faced challenging and, at times, very unfavorable geological conditions. The tunnel, which spans 1,200 meters with one lane in each direction, encountered a significant issue in November 2023.
A major collapse occurred in the overburden of an already excavated section, resulting in the formation of a massive cavity measuring approximately 2,200 cubic meters (25 meters in length, 13 meters in height, and 10 meters in width). Filling a cavity of this magnitude, which was practically inaccessible due to debris at the face, required the application of underground mining methods to navigate through the cave-in. Minova was called upon for support and to find a solution to this situation, owing to the contractor’s historical experience.
