Scotland-France ferry plans axed as Forth Ports pulls out

A long-awaited plan for a Scotland-France ferry has been dropped after the Scottish port operator concluded that the service would not be commercially viable.

Forth Ports, which had been in talks with DFDS for a Rosyth-Dunkirk route, has pulled out of discussions, saying it will now focus on other projects.

Passenger services ran between Rosyth and Zeebrugge until 2010, with a freight-only service continuing until 2018.

The proposed service was expected to run three times a week, taking around 20 hours, with an initial launch planned for 2024 before funding issues stalled the project.

Pledges of £3 million each from the Scottish and UK governments earlier this year had been seen as a positive sign. However, the UK funding was conditional on Forth Ports reaching a commercial agreement with a ferry operator.

Long-term viability of route questioned

A Forth Ports 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 spokesperson added that Forth Ports is exploring various business opportunities for the port, which it hopes will deliver and sustain long-term job creation and economic growth for the town, wider region and Scotland as a whole.

“Our focus will now shift to delivering alternative activity at the port. 

“We will continue to connect Scotland with the rest of the world through the container terminal at the Port of Grangemouth. We appreciate all of the work undertaken to date and we want to acknowledge the commitment shown by Graeme Downie MP, the UK Government through the Scotland Office, Transport Scotland, DFDS and Derek Sloan over a number of years as we worked together to seek a way forward.”

Ferry operator ‘disappointed’

DFDS’s global media relations head, Dennis Kjærsgaard Sørensen, said: “We are disappointed that the service will not be proceeding.

“We worked extensively and constructively with all stakeholders to explore the opportunity and assess the commercial and operational requirements needed to establish a sustainable service. 

“Following Forth Ports’ decision not to proceed, we expect the project to come to an end, and we would like to thank everyone involved, especially the UK and Scottish governments, for their commitment and support.”

Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport Stephen Flynn said: “While ultimately a commercial matter, Forth Ports’ decision not to proceed with a European ferry service from Rosyth is deeply disappointing.

“The Scottish Government has wholeheartedly backed a direct ferry service between Scotland and Europe and has engaged with relevant partners frequently as we worked to support the project.

“In recent months we have taken forward the relevant legislation required, assisted with anticipated infrastructure upgrades at Rosyth and committed £3 million to enable the route.”

Speaking in the Scottish Parliament earlier this year, the Scottish minister for business, Tom Arthur, had called the plan “particularly timely” in the year of the 10th anniversary of the Brexit referendum, which he said had “led to significant economic harm for Scotland and the wider UK”.

He said he hoped it would “strengthen our connectivity with European neighbours”, allowing Scotland to “renew our relationships again”.