Client: BaneNor / AnleggØst Entreprenør AS
Location: Nesvatnet, Levanger (Trøndelag), Norway
Status: Completed (rapid-response phase)
Project period: August–September 2025
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On the morning of 30 August 2025, a major landslide at Nesvatnet in Levanger destroyed sections of the E6 and impacted the Nordlandsbanen railway corridor. Police reported the first notification at 08:43 and quickly established the area as a high-risk site with active search and rescue considerations.
In terrain like this, the challenge isn’t only the visible damage—it’s the unstable ground and the potential for further movement. The incident was quickly associated with quick clay (kvikkleire), a soil type known for losing strength rapidly when disturbed.
To reduce exposure risk while still enabling essential work close to the hazard zone, Steer mobilized on just a few days’ notice with:
a teleoperated (remote-controlled) CAT 323 excavator
a mobile operations center
power generators and networking infrastructure
Point-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) cameras
Quick clay is a highly sensitive marine clay that can experience a dramatic loss of strength when remoulded, which is why landslides in these deposits can propagate and expand quickly once initiated.
In practical terms, this means:
Exclusion zones and conservative safety buffers are essential
Heavy equipment operations must be planned to minimize ground disturbance
Keeping people out of the hazard area becomes a top priority—especially when time-critical tasks still need to be performed
This is exactly the kind of scenario where remote control / teleoperation adds immediate value: it keeps the work moving, while moving people farther from risk.
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(Photo: Trønder-Avisa)
Steer’s mission at Levanger was focused on enabling safe, controlled machine work in a dynamic and hazardous environment, supporting three core objectives:
Secure assets and stabilize the situation where possible under the constraints set by authorities on scene
Support search operations in a high-risk area, minimizing exposure for personnel
Enable cleanup and recovery tasks, including handling floating glass foam (“glasopor”) observed in the water near the slide area (a lightweight fill material that can disperse and complicate cleanup efforts)
Police and infrastructure stakeholders continued their coordinated response through the period, and the incident remained a major disruption to national transport routes.
Operations were conducted with operators positioned approximately 500 meters away from the active work area, using Steer’s remote operations approach: real-time video, joystick control, and a mobile command/operations unit concept consistent with other Steer rapid deployments. (steer.no)
A dedicated Wi-Fi setup with WPA3 and strong encryption was used for control and video transport. WPA3-Enterprise security modes are designed around modern cryptographic suites intended to increase resilience compared to earlier Wi-Fi generations.
Excavator (teleoperated)
Caterpillar CAT 323 (remote-controlled / teleoperated configuration) - with tilt rotator, ripper, claw and other auxiliary implements. The CAT 323 is a widely used mid-size class excavator platform suited to controlled digging, handling, and cleanup tasks—making it a practical choice when remote capability must be added quickly and reliably.
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Levanger demonstrated, in the clearest possible way, why remote operation matters in emergency geotechnical events:
Reduced exposure: Operators stayed outside the immediate hazard zone while work progressed
Controlled productivity: Teleoperation enabled precise movement and careful handling where instability demanded conservative machine behavior
Rapid field readiness: A mobile operations center approach supports fast setup when every day of closure has large consequences for communities and logistics
In quick-clay incidents, you don’t get to choose between safety and progress—you need methods that deliver both. Teleoperated excavation is one of the most direct ways to achieve that when ground risk makes cabbed work unacceptable.
