Rosyth ferry service to Zeebrugge has been axed

DFDS said they were unable to find a replacement and, having "lost all hope" of turning round losses, decided to close the route.

The Rosyth ferry has been operating since 2002, but stopped carrying passengers in 2010 when it became a freight-only service.

That has now gone too with Kell Robdrup, a senior vice president at DFDS, stating: "We are extremely sorry for the effect this has on our customers and partners in Scotland and Belgium.

"In cooperation with the Scottish Government and the port, we have tried everything in our power to save the route.

"This included going from a combined passenger and cargo ship to a freight ship, reducing costs by enabling double stacking of containers and reducing fuel costs by installing a scrubber to remove sulphur from the exhaust gas instead of using expensive, low-sulphur fuel.

"However, the route continued to make losses. And with the new situation with the ship out of service for months, the market, the customers and the financial situation will be negatively affected, and make a turnaround and a reopening unrealistic.

DFDS said a fire broken out in the engine room of the freight ship Finlandia Seaways, which connects Rosyth and Zeebrugge, on Monday April 16.

An injured crew member was airlifted to hospital, where he was treated for injuries caused by smoke inhalation, and an inspection of the vessel carried out.

Mr Robdrup said: "The inspection revealed substantial damage to the ship's engine room, and we estimate that it will be out of service for several months for repairs.

"Furthermore, our search for a replacement vessel was fruitless and revealed that there are no suitable ships available.

"Unfortunately, this will bring about further losses on the route, and it means that we have lost all hope of being able to turn around the route's loss-making situation.

"Therefore, we have no alternative but to close the route as we undoubtedly will lose clients who will be forced to seek alternative solutions for their transport."

DFDS said the closure will only affect a small number of their employees, as port handling was performed by external companies.

Dunfermline and West Fife MP, Douglas Chapman, said: "This is exceptionally bad news for Scottish exporting companies who will be badly affected by the sudden withdrawal of a vital link to European markets.

"I will be writing to DFDS to appreciate the detail of the wind down of the service and to understand the full reasons behind this disappointing decision.

"I have held discussions in the past with representatives from the government of Flanders who I know will also be disappointed with the withdrawal of this service and I hope they will join us in creating new opportunities to maintain the links between Scotland and Europe.

"While this is bad news for the freight service, it perhaps creates an opportunity in the longer term for this route to have a more passenger-focussed service in the future.

"I have long been campaigning for a new passenger service and have recently spoken to Forth Ports and the Scottish Government on this issue.

"I hope this is a cloud that can have a silver-lining for Scotland, however a lot of work is required to see any new service come on stream.

“Finally, I would like to pass on my best wishes to the crewman involved in last week’s fire and I sincerely hope he makes a speedy recovery.”

Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Cowdenbeath, said: “First and foremost I want to send my best wishes to the seaman injured in the fire and express my hope that he will have a speedy recovery.

“I am extremely disappointed that this incident and the fact that a vessel will be out of commission for several months has led to a decision by DFDS to end the Rosyth-Zeebrugge freight service for good.

“I will be seeking a meeting with Forth Ports about their plans to ensure that Rosyth’s  potential can be secured and I have written to the Transport Minister to ask what actions may be open to the Scottish Government to seek to ensure that Rosyth can have a future as a ferry terminal for both freight and passengers.

“I firmly believe that with the right investment and marketing, the prospects for Rosyth could be very bright indeed.  We should be increasing and improving our links to continental Europe, not severing them.”

Charles Hammond, group chief executive of Forth Ports, which owns and operates the Port of Rosyth, said: “We are of course very disappointed that DFDS has closed the Rosyth/Zeebrugge freight ferry service.

"The service has a long history at Rosyth, operating since 2002, but has faced a number of challenges over the years.

"We are concerned for the welfare of the injured crew member and we wish him a speedy recovery.

“Scotland remains well connected with continental Europe through the range of multimodal services operating from the Port of Grangemouth.

"Grangemouth is Scotland’s largest container terminal and provides connectivity to locations in the UK, mainland Europe and the rest of the world through its feeder network.

"We will work hard to ensure that as many affected customers as possible can be accommodated from Grangemouth."

He added: "The Port of Rosyth is among Scotland’s best connected ports, with a range of opportunities currently being explored for the port as a whole.”

The news comes just three months after Mr Chapman welcomed talks that he said could see the return of a passenger ferry service from Rosyth to mainland Europe.

P&O Ferries spoke with the Scottish Government to discuss the possibility of a route from Scotland to Scandinavia.

At the time, the MP said: "This is a long-running campaign to return a passenger ferry service between Rosyth and mainland Europe.

"The economics of running such a service have always been an issue and I am delighted that a hugely-experienced ferry operator, such as P&O, might be interested."