The company Poul Michelsen supplies food to the Faroe Islands on a daily basis. Since 2020, the company’s journeys have been significantly shortened – a spectacular tunnel connects the two largest islands in the archipelago.

“Kanska” – “maybe”: Anyone visiting the Faroe Islands will hear this short word very often.“When we get up in the morning, we often only know what we will ‘maybe’ be doing that day,” says Poul Michelsen. The reason is as trivial as it is elemental: The weather in the middle of the North Atlantic can thwart many a plan. “A sunny morning can be followed by a stormy mid‑morning and a foggy afternoon,” says Michelsen. Yet the 77‑year‑old has been in a business for almost 50 years that has difficulty dealing with “maybe”: The company PM which he founded supplies food products to supermarkets, shops, restaurants and ships.

PM is also responsible for ensuring that dairy products are delivered by 11 am every day. “Dairy products have a shorter shelf life than other food products,” says Poul Michelsen. “Our customers expect them fresh every day and as early as possible.” For example, in the town of Klaksvik, in the northeast of the archipelago. “Depending on the season, such a journey took up to three hours,” reports Poul Michelsen. Driver Hanus Egholm has known the route for 22 years: “In the beginning there was even a crossing by ferry so I had to set out even earlier – and it was uncertain whether the ferry would actually go.” Since last year, drivers and trucks have made the journey in around 50 minutes thanks to an ambitious infrastructure project called the Eysturoy Tunnel.

“We want to be prepared for everything,” says Michelsen. “That’s why we have only had Mercedes‑Benz in our fleet since 1974.” There are currently 12 models from the Arocs and Actros series that are replaced regularly. “The trucks stay in the fleet for around six years, which means that on average we get a new Mercedes‑Benz truck every 1.5 years,” says Michelsen, who uses the 3263 variant in his Arocs – the top engine. “The terrain and roads are challenging, so we need power and at the same time the best available brakes.” Together, the trucks cover around 1,000 kilometres a day. That doesn't sound like much for non‑Faroe Islanders, but locals know about the island’s geographical and meterological conditions. “We need the best equipment we can get,” says Michelsen.

Born in Tórshavn, the island's capital, he decided to sell food early on. The famous story of the start‑up in the garage – Michelsen experienced it, even though in his case it was the basement that initially served as an office and warehouse for him, his wife and two employees. The company has long since expanded significantly. “When I started there were only two food categories on the island: fresh produce and dried goods. But I wanted diversity,” says Michelsen, getting up and taking the stairs towards the warehouse.

Forklift trucks race around, employees pick deliveries of fruit, refrigerated and frozen goods – a typical scene in food logistics. Just 700 kilometres off the Norwegian coast, in the middle of the North Atlantic. “Twice a week we get two 40‑foot containers of fresh food and chilled products,” Michelsen says. And here it's necessary to add: “When the ships are on schedule.”

The Eysturoy Tunnel is the third and youngest tunnel to provide a reliable connection between the islands of Streymoy and Eysturoy, regardless of the weather. At the deepest point, you have to be about 189 metres below the surface of the Atlantic. The implementation of the islands' largest infrastructure project to date cost the equivalent of 360 million euros.

The archipelago of the Faroe Islands consists of 18 islands, mostly connected by ferries. There is also a bridge – this construction is too exposed to the forces of nature to be a serious alternative. Some islands, on the other hand, can only be reached by helicopter. The flights are even affordable. “However, you need to be able to endure a lot,” says Michelsen. “The helicopters also fly in weather that really shakes passengers.”

The new tunnel is more comfortable – and at the same time offers a globally unique attraction: Here, deep below the sea, traffic rolls through a roundabout. Not just anywhere, but at the geographical centre of the archipelago. The Faroe Islanders have understood how to turn it into an experience: The roundabout is atmospherically illuminated by an installation by artist Tróndur Patursson. Part of the staging is also an 80‑metre‑long steel sculpture, which shows life‑size figures as silhouettes. Patursson thereby picks up a tradition of the Faroe Islanders: Hundreds of people hold hands and run into the light from darkness.

A thought that Poul Michelsen can also gain a lot from. “This shows that we can implement great ideas if we work together to achieve them,” says the Faroe Islander, who was active not only as an entrepreneur, but also as an athlete. As much as “maybe” determines the everyday life of the Faroe Islanders – when developing and realising ideas they seem to prefer a different word: “definitely”.