According to several Scottish media outlets, a spokesperson for Forth Ports said that it had not been possible to develop a sustainable long-term plan for the service. It has therefore been concluded that the route will not be relaunched.

Rosyth, which is part of the Forth Ports group, served as the Scottish terminus of the RoPax route, while Zeebrugge in Belgium was its continental port. The route, the only direct RoRo/RoPax service between Scotland and continental Europe, was inaugurated by Greece’s Superfast Ferries in 2002 using the then newly built SUPERFAST IX and SUPERFAST X. The service continued until 2007.

Eighteen months later, Norfolkline launched a new service on the route using the Visentini-class RoPax ferry SCOTTISH VIKING. However, passenger services were again discontinued at the end of 2010. DFDS subsequently began operating the route, this time with the pure RoRo vessel FINLANDIA SEAWAYS. The service ended in 2018 following a serious fire in the vessel’s engine room. DFDS had also been mentioned as a possible operator if the route had been revived under the initiative that has now fallen through.

Read also: UK Government supports re-establishment of route from Scotland to the continent

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