A report published by SBT in 1987 looked at details for a subsea tunnel to the mainland. It was the first official document to use the "Triangle Link" term, although this had previously been used by the press. A delegation traveled to Washington state in the United States and British Columbia in Canada to look at their seven pontoon bridges, while seismic surveys were undertaken in Bømlafjorden. SBT changed its name to Sunnhordland Bru- og Tunnelselskap and a majority of the board shifted towards being in favor of a fixed link. The issue became the subject of major local debate and was supplemented by a demand from residents in southern Bømlo that they did not want to lose their ferry service, which would be faster than driving via the fixed link.