THE collapse of plans to restore a ferry link between Fife and mainland Europe is a “huge loss for Scotland”, according to the shipping executive who led the latest attempt to restore the route.
Ptarmigan Shipping’s Derek Sloan told The National that the decision by Forth Ports to pull out of plans for a Rosyth-Dunkirk service was “disappointing” after years of efforts to bring back a direct passenger and freight route.
His comments come after Forth Ports confirmed that discussions over restarting a European ferry service at Rosyth had failed to produce a “long-term sustainable way forward”.
A spokesperson 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.
“Our position is based on a number of important economic factors which unfortunately impact the long-term viability of a ferry service in Rosyth.”
The decision comes just months after both the UK and Scottish Government each pledged £3 million towards the infrastructure needed to support the proposed service.
It had been hoped that the funding would help remove one of the remaining obstacles to restoring the route, with Danish operator DFDS repeatedly confirming its plans for a revived service.
“I'm very disappointed that it's come to this,” Sloan said.
“DFDS were still at the table to discuss any of these issues, which unfortunately didn't happen.”
The shipping executive also described the proposal as a “one-off opportunity”.
He added: “It would have been good for Scotland for all the reasons I've said before – tourism, employment, growth, exports, imports, logistics, all of those things.
“It's obviously a loss for DFDS and Rosyth, but the biggest loss is for Scotland.”
The previous Rosyth-Europe route to Zeebrugge stopped carrying passengers in 2010 before continuing as a freight-only service.
The final sailing took place in 2018 after DFDS withdrew from the route.
Since then, campaigners and politicians – including former SNP MP Douglas Chapman – have repeatedly sought to restore a direct maritime connection between Scotland and continental Europe.
