Technology Qualification of Extreme Fjord Crossings

The objective of this paper is to describe a framework for technology qualification for extreme fjord crossings. The motivation and scope is the project coastal highway route E39, which requires use of groundbreaking technologies to replace ferry connections with bridges across eight challenging fjords in the western Norway. The paper identifies key uncertainties related to use of new technology for extreme fjord crossings, concerning rules and methodologies, environmental conditions and implications in terms of risk. It then identifies needs and challenges for technology qualification in order to reduce these uncertainties and demonstrate that the technology is ready for use. This provides the basis for a new framework for technology qualification of extreme crossings. The framework combines principles of a risk-based, goal-driven approach with predefined levels of technological maturity, which are linked to key decision gates in the development project.