The campaign has reached a milestone of building subsea tunnels connecting the northern Shetland islands of Unst and Yell. The proposed subsea tunnels are expected to cost over £500 million and are inspired by similar projects in the Faroe Islands and Norway, where such projects have proven successful. This ambitious project aims to improve transport links between the islands, offering an alternative to the ferry service.

Ground investigations are set to begin at the end of this month, marking a significant step forward for the multi-million project. The work will take up to three months to complete, and the findings are expected within six weeks.

£13,000 was secured over the past 18 months through an online fundraising campaign, alongside an earlier £100,000 raised from the Unst Spaceport and North Yell Development Council.

These funds led to the commissioning of the Norwegian consultancy firm Norconsult to conduct investigations into the route of the tunnels beneath Yell Sound and Bluemull Sound, areas currently served by ferries, with seismic surveys planned for next year by GeoPhysix, a sub-consultant of Norconsult.

Duncan Gray, joint chair of Unst Tunnel Action Group, said: "We are delighted to have been able to engage such highly experienced industry experts. Norconsult will bring the skills and experience that they have gained from their work in areas where tunnelling is well established to our project and indeed the UK."

Graham Hughson, joint chair of Yell Tunnel Action Group, said: "This is a huge step forward for the project, which we see as being absolutely vital for the long-term social and economic sustainability of our communities.

"Norconsult’s role will be to prepare the basis for carrying out seismic ground investigations using sonar technology, provide a follow up and report on the seismic investigations, prepare the tunnel alignments [choosing the most probable alignments using updated grade requirements] and prepare overviews and longitudinal sections for the tunnels.

"Should adjustments be needed following the seismic investigations, Norconsult will refine the alignments accordingly."