In 2025/2026, a new museum of the Viking Age, which will be an extension of the present Viking Ship Museum, will open on the Bygdøy peninsula in Oslo and, as part of this exciting new project, preparations are already underway to ensure safe handling of the ships and artefacts during the move.
The Viking Ship House within the Museum of Cultural History, which is part of the University of Oslo, houses three Viking era burial ships that were found as part of archaeological finds from Tune, Gokstad (Sandefiord), Oseberg (Tønsberg) and the Borre mound cemetery.
Built as an extension of the present Viking Ship Museum, the new 13,000 m2 building will provide a complete picture of the Viking Age, with the three magnificent ships as the main attraction. Featuring a regulated climate and new support system, the new building will secure the museum’s unique artefacts safely and securely for years to come.
In preparation for the project, the museum’s specialist conservation and collection management staff have been closely collaborating with Statsbygg, the Norwegian Government’s key advisor in construction and property affairs, and external experts to ensure the safe handling of the ships and artefacts, both during the construction process and transition to the new building. However, before this can take place, the ships need to be accurately weighed and this is where HBK was able to step in and help.
Weighing the ships has three main purposes: to determine the total weight; to establish weight distribution; and to monitor changes over time, such as moisture absorption, which can lead to changes in shape. Viewed together with different 3D scanning methods, the ability to monitor the weight distribution will also enable museum staff to understand any potential changes to the ships and effectively remedy them.
For such a prestigious project, it was important that we choose the right equipment for the job and that’s why we turned to HBK. In addition to delivering an exceptional product that met the demands of the task, HBK also delivered the customer service to match, both in terms of the design and quickly solving any issues we had along the way.