Ministers told to restore Scotland to Europe ferry service

Ministers are being urged to help bring back a direct ferry service from Scotland to mainland Europe to boost trade and ties with the EU and allow drivers and passengers to avoid delays at busy ports in England.

The calls are being made by former Fife MPs Neale Hanvey and Douglas Chapman who have drawn up a new five point plan to re-introduce the link between Rosyth and either Dunkirk in France or Zeebrugge in Belgium.

They say the new service would encourage more tourists to come to Scotland from overseas, help cut journey times for passengers and hauliers between Scotland and mainland Europe and reduce CO2 emissions.

Mr Hanvey, former Alba MP Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, and Mr Chapman, former SNP MP for Dunfermline and West Fife, argue the service has the potential to a "transformative opportunity" for the country.

They have jointly authored a paper in which they state getting the service back up and running is "popular with the public at both ends of the route and among potential hauliers and tourists who would make up the main customer base".

A previous passenger ferry service between Rosyth and mainland Europe ended in 2010 with the service operating as freight only until 2018 when it was completely axed.

In 2022 Danish-owned ferry operator DFDS signed an agreement with Ptarmigan Shipping to work on re-storing a Rosyth – Zeebrugge route. This became known as ‘Project Brave’.

But the project ran into problems including the need for a Border Control Post (BCP) at Rosyth to process certain goods such as agrifood products.

Building a new BCP was deemed prohibitively expensive and DFDS instead proposed to use an existing BCP at Grangemouth.

Now Mr Hanvey and Mr Chapman have intervened setting out a number of recommendations to get the service restored.

They want the Scottish and UK governments to commit £5 million to £10 million in start-up funding to share risks with operators in the early years of operation, They are also calling for a summit to resolve any potential border control issues.

The two men are also calling for integration of the project with Rosyth's green freeport in order to attract more jobs and investment and for a comparative analysis with other routes that may be in receipt of a public subsidy to be carried out.

They also want the two government to explore a tendering process for a publicly supported service, potentially involving CalMac.

The paper concludes: "By acting decisively, Scotland can re-establish itself as a maritime nation, reconnect with Europe, and deliver lasting economic and environmental benefits for its people."

Mr Hanvey said:

"A Rosyth-Europe ferry service would deliver significant economic advantages for Scotland, particularly for Fife and the broader economy. The ferry service would also stimulate local economies, in Fife the Lothians and beyond."

"The success of Ireland’s 'Brexit-buster' ferries, which increased direct routes to Europe from 12 to 44 post-Brexit, serves as a model. These routes have reduced reliance on carbon-intensive land bridges through the UK, a strategy Scotland could emulate. Where Scotland has failed to act Ireland has taken decisive action."

Mr Chapman said:

"The ferry service has the potential to act as a transport hub linking Scotland to mainland Europe, boosting trade and tourism in the wake of Brexit's disruptions and would benefit Scottish exporters by providing a direct, cost effective pathway to EU markets, avoiding the congested and bureaucratic land routes through southeast England. This makes both economic and environmental sense as exporters want to use a more direct route into key EU markets, such as Belgium, France and Germany, and to bypass Dover's post-Brexit bottleneck."

"It has always been part of the business case that the Project Brave service would become fully self-funding by years three to five of full operation. The Scottish Government have claimed that it is legally impossible for an operational subsidy to be paid to any operator and yet the Newhaven - Dieppe ferry service receives a subsidy of some £22m according to the local Brighton and Hove Council."

Neale Hanvey and Douglas Chapman recommend the following five point plan:

Government Funding: The Scottish and UK governments should commit £5-10 million in start-up funding to share risks with operators in the early years of operation.
Summit of Stakeholders: Convene a summit, to address UK Border Force issues and align stakeholders, including Forth Ports, DFDS, the receiving port (Dunkirk) alongside haulage representatives and tourism agencies such as VisitScotland.
Integration with Green Freeport: Leverage Rosyth’s freeport status to attract investment and create jobs, ensuring the ferry service complements broader economic goals and contributes to the 34,500 jobs creation target.
Investigation: Conduct an comparative analysis with other routes that may be in receipt of a subsidy - the highly successful Ireland/EU routes and Newhaven/Dieppe are prime examples.
Public-Private Arrangement: Explore a tendering process for a publicly supported service, potentially involving CalMac or an alternative innovative model to ensure long-term viability which would be in the interests of the taxpayer.