Plans to relaunch Rosyth-Europe ferry sail a little closer
It is hoped the one at Grangemouth can be used as a new one at Rosyth is considered to be prohibitively costly and unnecessary.
Dunfermline MP Graeme Downie has this week said that a solution appears to have been found which could allow things to progress.
He said the recent agreement between the UK Government and the EU will mean no BCP will be required at all in the future, however an interim solution is required that would allow the temporary use of BCP Grangemouth if the Rosyth-Dunkirk schedule is to start in Spring 2026.
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The use of remote BCPs has been authorised in England with sanitary and phytosanitary goods arriving at the Port of Dover for checks being directed to the Sevington BCP, over 20 miles away.
The Secretary of State for Scotland, Ian Murray, has now written to 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 to Steve Reed, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, he 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 which Mr Downie is now working with the Scotland Office to secure.
'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," he said.
'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.'
Superfast Ferries first launched a ferry service from Rosyth in 2002 and it was later taken over by Norfolkline.
It stopped carrying passengers in 2010, when it became freight-only, and DFDS became the third operator of the route. They reached the end of the line shortly after a fire on board the Finlandia Seaways ship in April 2018.
In January last year, the proposals to re-start the service – it had been hoped they could have started in May this year – were put on hold after ferry operator DFDS stated that date was "no longer feasible" and "no further progress can be made" due to a lack of financial support.
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