Speaking in his grass-roofed office looking out over a busy harbour in Tórshavn, Aksel Johannesen says tunnels helped to grow the population and the economy of the Faroe Islands, which are home to some 54,000 people, in contrast to Shetland’s 23,000.
“It’s about ambition,” says tunnel builder Andy Sloan, whose company worked on part of the Faroese tunnel project.
He adds the islands have led the world “in connecting an archipelago in the middle of the North Atlantic through blood, sweat and tears – and focus.
“They have delivered a remarkable piece of infrastructure,” says Mr Sloan, who is executive vice-president of engineering firm COWI.
It is now advising Shetland Islands Council on the technicalities and financing of tunnels.
The Faroese tunnels were constructed using a technique known as drill and blast – where holes are drilled in rock, explosives are dropped in, and the rubble is then cleared away – which Mr Sloan says could also be used in Scotland.
“Without doubt, Shetland can copy what has been achieved in these islands,” he adds.