A view from the top of the Forth Road Bridge of Norfolkline's boat Scottish Viking between the Forth Road and Rail Bridges on the River Forth on its maiden voyage from Zeebrugge to Rosyth at the launch of a new ferry route
BOTH Westminster and Holyrood governments must “come together and work together” around proposals for a new ferry link with the continent, Scottish Labour insisted today.
Alex Rowley, the party’s transport spokesman, made the call in letters to both the Labour Scottish Secretary Ian Murray and SNP Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop after the idea of linking Rosyth with Dunkirk was mooted in meetings with shipping company bosses.
The passenger and freight link, proposed by Derek Sloan of Ptarmigan Shipping Ltd, involving ferry giant DFDS Shipping Denmark, as well as Port of Rosyth and Port of Dunkerque, could deliver a major boost to the Scottish economy, Mr Rowley argued.
He said: “Given the potential economic, environmental and tourism benefits this new service could bring, it is crucial that both the UK and Scottish governments come together, work together and fully investigate the proposal’s viability.
“If the proposal is indeed viable and deliverable, this project has the potential to generate significant economic growth for Scotland and is already being supported by stakeholders in the freight industry and tourism sector.”
The Scotland Office and Transport Scotland were contacted for comment.
