Fife Council has urged the Scottish Government to meet officials to try to save the continental ferry from Rosyth.
The call comes as council leader David Ross revealed officers have had discussions with Forth Ports and Scottish Government officials and have offered all practical assistance to maintain the link.
The local authority has now requested an early meeting with Government ministers to ensure everything possible is being done to safeguard the future of the Rosyth to Zeebrugge freight service.
The route, which was once a passenger and freight service, is under threat because of a new EU ruling.
Due to the new sulphur directive, which starts on January 1, ferry operator DFDS has announced it is going to review the operation of the freight route.
New legislation to curb sulphur levels in fuel could see costs soar, with the Rosyth service bearing the brunt when compared to southern ports.
Last month, the freight service operator DFDS Seaways confirmed the route Scotland’s only direct freight ferry service to Europe would no longer be commercially viable in its current form.
Mr Ross has now written to Transport Minister Keith Brown asking to meet him to discuss the issue and to ask that funding be identified to ensure the service is maintained.
He said: “This new legislation will have a serious bearing on DFDS’s ability to deliver a commercial service without imposing additional costs on to their business customers.
“There is significant doubt among the local business community that customers could afford the increase which could render the route unviable.
“This will also impact on all shipping operators providing services from Scotland, both now and in the future.”
Mr Ross said the Scottish Government and Fife Council had a shared interest to ensure Scotland’s exporters and its trade partners have access to a direct freight service to mainland Europe.
“Although we do not have access to detailed analysis of service users of our only Scottish freight service, I believe that the link is vital to both larger exporters and smaller companies, including those in key sectors, such as food and drink,” he added.
“Rosyth is a strategic development area for Fife Council and the Scottish Government, that’s why I’m asking Mr Brown to give assurance everything possible is being done to ensure the route continues, including additional route subsidy to offset the impact of the EU sulphur directive.
“It’s crucial from a council perspective we support our business community and respond promptly to their concerns on this matter.”
Picture by David Wardle