The Oseberg Viking ship reaches its final harbour – the move went according to plan
On Wednesday evening, the 1,200-year-old Oseberg Ship was lowered into its new home harbour. The complicated moving process went entirely according to plan.
The Oseberg Ship arrived on Wednesday evening.(Photo: Fredrik Varfjell, NTB)
NTB .NTB.NTB .Norwegian News Agency
Published
"I'm a bit tired, relieved, and very pleased. We managed to follow the plan," project manager at Statsbygg, Lars Christian Gomnæs, tells Norwegian news agency NTB.
He has led the extremely demanding relocation process, which has been carefully planned for ten years.
Cheers, applause, and handshakes erupted among museum staff, Statsbygg employees, and architects when the ship was finally lowered into place.
"This is a historic day. We watched the ship leave the exhibition hall where it has stood for 99 years – never to return. This was its final journey, its last voyage. It feels good to have it in place," says Gomnæs.
A powerful moment
Annonse
The entire day was devoted to moving the ship 100 metres from the old Viking Ship Museum to the newly built Museum of the Viking Age next door.
At one point Wednesday evening, the ship hung several metres above the ground. The move happened at a slow pace, no faster than 20 centimetres per minute.
Museum director Aud V. Tønnessen arrived at the museum early Wednesday morning, already filled with anticipation:
"It's very special. The Oseberg Ship has been hidden under covers for so long. To finally see it today was powerful. The first thing we saw was the prow – the serpent's head – emerging. That moment showed how beautiful, majestic, and proud the ship truly is," says Tønnessen.
"The way it was moved, it's almost like it was sailing towards you, very slowly. It left us all a little speechless," she adds.
Museum director of the Museum of the Viking Age, Aud V. Tønnessen, arrived early Wednesday morning to witness the historic move. Here, the ship was nearly in place.(Photo: Fredrik Varfjell / NTB)
"An important milestone"
The move carries a price tag of around 500 million NOK (50 million USD) and has been in planning for a decade due to the ship being so fragile.
The new museum building was specially designed to handle this demanding relocation process. Architect and project manager Thomas Pedersen of AART Architects describes the moment as a huge relief.
"We reached an important milestone today," he tells NTB.
"As an architect, it's rewarding to see that the concept we launched ten years ago still holds, and that the ships can be safely brought to rest on their new foundations in the new building," he says.
Transported in a protective crate
The ship was lifted inside a large vibration-protected crate and moved using a ceiling-mounted crane track, supported by massive steel rigs.
The Gokstad Ship remains in the old building and will undergo the same moving process later this autumn. In the spring, the extremely fragile Viking sleds will also be transferred.
The new Museum of the Viking Age is scheduled to open in 2027. Before then, both the Gokstad Ship and the Tune Ship will be relocated to the climate-controlled facility. The old museum had 15 times more visitors than it was designed for, which contributed to the deterioration of the ancient ships.
