Scotland’s tranport minister Keith Brown said he has asked operators of the Rosyth to Zeebrugge ferry to keep the possibility of reinstating a passenger service under review.
DFDS Seaways, who operate the service, have not totally ruled out the possibility and said they will look at all options.
The call came after it was announced that today will see the launch of a revamped freight service between the two ports, following the withdrawal of the passenger service in mid-December by DFDS Seaways.
The new schedule will see two ships operate on the route, providing four departures a week from each port.
Sailing schedules have also been reconfigured to accommodate the delivery demands of key operators, specifically early Monday morning arrivals in Rosyth and Zeebrugge.
The freight service has been introduced after it was announced in August that the Rosyth to Zeebrugge combined freight-passenger routeoperated by the Scottish Viking vesselwas to end in mid-December.
This caused outcry from some south-west Fife politicians who have since been involved in talks with DFDS Seaways (formerly Norfolkline) to outline the company’s plans for the Scottish Viking route.
Mr Brown said he welcomed the freight service but wants DFDS to look at the passenger service from Rosyth to Zeebrugge.
He said, “The Rosyth to Zeebrugge ferry route is an important link between Scotland and the continent. The increased capacity that two vessels and an additional weekly sailing will bring will no doubt be greatly welcomed by the freight industry.
“Although we are disappointed by the decision to withdraw the passenger service, we have requested that DFDS keep this under review. The current weather conditions certainly highlight the benefit of having a direct route to Europe. Not to mention the significant positive impact it delivers in relation to climate change by removing a significant number of lorry miles from our roads.”
A DFDS Seaways spokesman said the company would “never say never” and confirmed they had received the request from the Scottish Government.
“Our focus is currently on creating a successful freight service between Rosyth and Zeebrugge,” he said.
“However, we have received the Scottish Government’s request about the passenger service and we will continue to review all of these options in the future.”
Allan Hull, route director for DFDS Seaways, said, “The freight service between Rosyth and Zeebrugge has been very popular with the haulage industry, which has recognised the benefits of the route providing the only direct ro-ro link between Scotland and the continent.
“While it was a matter of deep regret that the passenger service had to be withdrawn, we saw potential in enhancing the freight service to meet increased demand from the sector.
“Our new schedule will see two ro-ro ships operate on the route with the number of sailings increasing from three to four departures a week. This will increase overall weekly capacity by 25%.
“In addition, we were anxious to seek the views of the sector on how the new schedule should operate. The result is that we have geared timings to meet the specific delivery schedules of the unaccompanied trailer and container operators who will be key to the success of the route.
“We have sought to not just expand but to improve the service to meet the demands of the freight trade, not least with the early arrivals and later departures.”
The new ships on the service are the Tor Finladia and the Tor Cimbria. Both vessels will have capacity for around 130 trailersthe Scottish Viking could accommodate 120.
DFDS Seaways will also move to a dedicated ro-ro terminal in Zeebrugge, which has direct rail connections and room for further expansion, from the start of the new freight only service.