Is the ferry connecting Scotland to mainland Europe about to return?
Danish operator DFDS is aiming to launch a service between Rosyth, Fife, and Dunkirk, France, as early as spring 2026, carrying both passengers and freight. The route could handle around 51,000 passengers a year initially, rising to 79,000, and bring an estimated £11.5m annual boost to the Scottish economy.
One of the main barriers has been the need for a Border Control Post (BCP) at Rosyth to process certain goods, particularly agrifood products. Building a new facility was deemed prohibitively expensive and unnecessary, with DFDS instead proposing to use the existing BCP at Grangemouth.
The UK–EU deal agreed earlier this year will eventually remove the requirement for BCPs altogether, but an interim arrangement is needed if the ferry is to start before the rules change. In England, similar 'remote BCP' arrangements already allow sanitary and phytosanitary goods arriving at Dover to be checked over 20 miles away at Sevington.
Scotland secretary Ian Murray has written to Steve Reed, the secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs along with the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales outlining how a ferry service between Rosyth and Dunkirk could proceed without a specific Border Control Point at Rosyth.
In his letter, Murray said: 'I would like to propose that we urgently seek to agree that an amendment to the BTOM is made, as a transitional measure to allow the use of remote BCPs, within a short radius of the port of arrival…'
While it is the Scottish Government who must amend the regulation to allow the use of a remote BCP at Grangemouth, this can only be exercised with a cross-GB consensus.
Dunfermline and Dollar MP Graeme Downie, who has been working to resolve the issue, said: 'A regular passenger and freight ferry service from Rosyth to Dunkirk would be an incredible boon for the Dunfermline and Scottish economy, making trade easier as well as making it simpler for people from Europe to visit the Kingdom of Fife.
'These matters can be complex but we have taken a huge stride towards making this ferry service a reality.
'I want to thank the secretary of state for Scotland and his officials for their work and assistance in finding a way to ensure a BCP is not required at Rosyth. Their efforts make it more likely a passenger and freight ferry to Dunkirk could begin as soon as next year.
'We are not quite there yet and, in particular, a small amount of infrastructure is needed at the Port of Rosyth. However, as the ferry is one of the projects in the strategy of the Forth Green Freeport I am hopeful we can overcome this problem as well.
'I have spoken to both Forth Ports and the Green Freeport about this issue in the past and hope to meet with them very soon to discuss how speedy progress could be made in time for the ferry to begin next year.'
The project also has the backing of major Fife employers, including Amazon and seafood company Mowi, and could remove 8.2 million kilometres of freight traffic from UK roads each year, cutting carbon emissions.
The link would replace the previous service between Rosyth and Zeebrugge in Belgium.
The passenger service ended in 2010 before becoming freight-only, and was ultimately axed in 2018 after a fire aboard one vessel made the route uneconomical.
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