Very exciting but unless they have rather attractive fares for passengers and not just freight, I fear it’ll fail.
Where’s it going. Fuckin paywall
*Here’s a set of ladders to see over that wall.*
A DEAL to secure a new Scotland to Europe ferry deal nears with an aim to reinstate the service in spring 2024.
SNP MP Douglas Chapman and Derek Sloan, CEO of Ptarmigan Shipping, hosted a delegation from the port of Dunkirk and ferry company DFDS at the port of Rosyth last week.
It comes two weeks after talks were held at the French port of Dunkirk where they discussed building on support from the region for this sea connection to Scotland, as well as practical arrangements for a berth at Dunkirk.
Representatives from DFDS and the Port of Dunkirk arrived at the Firth of Forth to tour facilities, and were joined by members of the UK Government Border Force team, Visit Scotland, Fife Council, Forth Ports, Scottish Development International, Transport Scotland and the French Consul General based in Edinburgh, Stephane Pailler (below).
The National:
We previously reported that a petition calling for the ferry service’s return, which stopped sailing five years ago, reached thousands of signatures.
Chapman said the project – which he and co-campaigner Sloan have named ‘Project Brave’ – is “truly gathering momentum”.
He added: “We were delighted to return the hospitality to our Dunkirk colleagues this time in Scotland after a successful visit to their port in October.
“Starting our tour at Transport Scotland’s Headquarters at South Queensferry we continued discussions from our recent Dunkirk trip and the potential of the new Greenport at Rosyth, before travelling to Grangemouth to view facilities and presentations from DFDS and Transport Scotland.
“Finally, we finished at Rosyth to discuss the role of Visit Scotland and the sustainable tourism potential, overcoming current barriers faced through border control issues and important next steps with all the relevant stakeholders.”
READ MORE: Scotland to Europe ferry: A timeline of once popular service
Sloan, meanwhile, said they are aiming to reinstate the service for spring 2024.
He added: “It seems apt to host our French counterparts and DFDS at Rosyth during International Trade Week given the enormous potential for freight access to Europe direct from Scotland once we have this route up and running again.
“Now we are aiming for spring 2024, the opportunity for tourists from Scotland and the wider continent to reduce their carbon footprint with travel by sea to and from mainland Europe rather than by road, rail of air will be hugely significant.
“The economic, environmental and connectivity benefits of Project Brave could be transformational for Scotland, and we’re delighted our French counterparts agree.”
It’s probbly for freight more than people in the main plan tbh
How much would a ferry cost vs the cheap airlines that can deliver you direct yo destinations, faster and potentally cheaper, while also avoiding the whole sailing the North Sea thing. Not fun in winters lol
Trucks sure, direct link to France. Great news, probbly works for them.
This has been tried a few times. I really, really hope it works this time – it would be great to have more options to get to Europe.
[It’s 420 miles](https://sea-distances.org/advanced), which on a Ferry is 20+ hours vs driving it is 570 miles so ~14 hours, which exceeds the driving hours
That’s the big plus for freight
But it only works on whole loads/wagons, pallet freight can be reloaded on to other wagons.
is there enough traffic to justify?
Say there is a ferry once a week any freight want to go after the ferry has departed will get there quicker by being driven.
Any fresh produce can’t wait for a week, but there won’t be enough to justify daily ferry
Surprised it’s going to Dunkirk, I would have thought it would have been more cost-effective to go to Amsterdam or somewhere further East, where the benefits compared to driving through England would be much greater.
Scotland is in Europe.
Have to wish them luck, but the track record of ferries operating in an economically viable manner between Scotland and Europe hasn’t been great, has it? :-/
Great news for motorcyclists! Really hoping this opens up again. Riding to Dover is awful!
11 comments
‘aims’
Very exciting but unless they have rather attractive fares for passengers and not just freight, I fear it’ll fail.
Where’s it going. Fuckin paywall
*Here’s a set of ladders to see over that wall.*
A DEAL to secure a new Scotland to Europe ferry deal nears with an aim to reinstate the service in spring 2024.
SNP MP Douglas Chapman and Derek Sloan, CEO of Ptarmigan Shipping, hosted a delegation from the port of Dunkirk and ferry company DFDS at the port of Rosyth last week.
It comes two weeks after talks were held at the French port of Dunkirk where they discussed building on support from the region for this sea connection to Scotland, as well as practical arrangements for a berth at Dunkirk.
Representatives from DFDS and the Port of Dunkirk arrived at the Firth of Forth to tour facilities, and were joined by members of the UK Government Border Force team, Visit Scotland, Fife Council, Forth Ports, Scottish Development International, Transport Scotland and the French Consul General based in Edinburgh, Stephane Pailler (below).
The National:
We previously reported that a petition calling for the ferry service’s return, which stopped sailing five years ago, reached thousands of signatures.
Chapman said the project – which he and co-campaigner Sloan have named ‘Project Brave’ – is “truly gathering momentum”.
He added: “We were delighted to return the hospitality to our Dunkirk colleagues this time in Scotland after a successful visit to their port in October.
“Starting our tour at Transport Scotland’s Headquarters at South Queensferry we continued discussions from our recent Dunkirk trip and the potential of the new Greenport at Rosyth, before travelling to Grangemouth to view facilities and presentations from DFDS and Transport Scotland.
“Finally, we finished at Rosyth to discuss the role of Visit Scotland and the sustainable tourism potential, overcoming current barriers faced through border control issues and important next steps with all the relevant stakeholders.”
READ MORE: Scotland to Europe ferry: A timeline of once popular service
Sloan, meanwhile, said they are aiming to reinstate the service for spring 2024.
He added: “It seems apt to host our French counterparts and DFDS at Rosyth during International Trade Week given the enormous potential for freight access to Europe direct from Scotland once we have this route up and running again.
“Now we are aiming for spring 2024, the opportunity for tourists from Scotland and the wider continent to reduce their carbon footprint with travel by sea to and from mainland Europe rather than by road, rail of air will be hugely significant.
“The economic, environmental and connectivity benefits of Project Brave could be transformational for Scotland, and we’re delighted our French counterparts agree.”
It’s probbly for freight more than people in the main plan tbh
How much would a ferry cost vs the cheap airlines that can deliver you direct yo destinations, faster and potentally cheaper, while also avoiding the whole sailing the North Sea thing. Not fun in winters lol
Trucks sure, direct link to France. Great news, probbly works for them.
This has been tried a few times. I really, really hope it works this time – it would be great to have more options to get to Europe.
[It’s 420 miles](https://sea-distances.org/advanced), which on a Ferry is 20+ hours vs driving it is 570 miles so ~14 hours, which exceeds the driving hours
That’s the big plus for freight
But it only works on whole loads/wagons, pallet freight can be reloaded on to other wagons.
is there enough traffic to justify?
Say there is a ferry once a week any freight want to go after the ferry has departed will get there quicker by being driven.
Any fresh produce can’t wait for a week, but there won’t be enough to justify daily ferry
Surprised it’s going to Dunkirk, I would have thought it would have been more cost-effective to go to Amsterdam or somewhere further East, where the benefits compared to driving through England would be much greater.
Scotland is in Europe.
Have to wish them luck, but the track record of ferries operating in an economically viable manner between Scotland and Europe hasn’t been great, has it? :-/
Great news for motorcyclists! Really hoping this opens up again. Riding to Dover is awful!