For some reason, whenever we write anything about ferries, people are really interested. Well, I won’t keep you hanging on some more Scotland-to-Europe ferry news, after the Rosyth to Dunkirk route resurrection was cancelled just last week. However, there might still be hope, as the Scottish Government is set to sit down with Forth Ports for further talks on the matter.
The Rosyth to Dunkirk route has also received £3 million in funding from the Scottish and UK Governments, but it was scrapped due to a lack of a “long-term sustainable way forward” between Forth Ports and Danish operator DFDS.
First Minister John Swinney said: “The Deputy First Minister [Jenny Gilruth] is meeting Forth Ports tomorrow to discuss this issue and wider issues of connectivity.”
“And the Government’s commitment to delivering a service of this type remains in place despite the announcement that’s been made in recent days.”
Upon announcing the cancellation of the Rosyth to Zeebrugge ferry service, a spokesperson from Forth Ports said: “After many months of collaborative dialogue between all the relevant parties to seek a long-term sustainable way forward for the resurrection of a European ferry service at the Port of Rosyth, Forth Ports has confirmed that, after careful consideration, these discussions have not been able to be concluded, such that the service will not restart.“
Rosyth has connected Scotland to mainland Europe before: a ferry to Zeebrugge in Belgium once ran four times a week, taking about 17 hours. That service, however, was permanently withdrawn for passengers in 2010, leaving this new DFDS route as a potential revival of long-haul sea links from Scotland to Europe.
Could there still be hope for the Scotland to France direct ferry?
While nothing is guaranteed, the Scottish Government’s willingness to intervene is a positive sign, so all hope is not yet lost. Watch this space!
