<p><span style="color:#1a1b1b;font-family:Inter, 'Arial size-adjust', Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;letter-spacing:-0.32px;">Hopes for a new direct ferry service between Scotland and France have resurfaced, but without any concrete moves towards launch.</span></p>
<p style="line-height:24px;margin-top:16px;letter-spacing:-0.02em;color:#1a1b1b;font-family:Inter, 'Arial size-adjust', Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">The planned service will provide three weekly sailings from the port of Rosyth near Edinburgh to Dunkirk in France. Proposals for the so-called ‘Project Brave’ ferry service were <a style="color:#d93e25;font-weight:600;" href="https://www.euronews.com/travel/2022/11/08/scotland-europe-ferry-service-to-restart-from-next-year-but-theres-a-catch"><span style="font-weight:inherit;">first floated in 2022</span></a>, but stalled due to lack of funding.</p>
<p style="line-height:24px;margin-top:16px;letter-spacing:-0.02em;color:#1a1b1b;font-family:Inter, 'Arial size-adjust', Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">Now, talks of funding the initiative have restarted, as supporters argue that the link would have massive economic benefits, both from transportation of passengers and the movement of freight.</p>
<p style="line-height:24px;margin-top:16px;letter-spacing:-0.02em;color:#1a1b1b;font-family:Inter, 'Arial size-adjust', Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">For tourists, it would provide a convenient travel option, with the possibility of taking a vehicle on the crossing, giving more flexibility at the other end. Given that it would be an alternative to road and air transport, it would also align with goals to reduce <a style="color:#d93e25;font-weight:600;" href="https://www.euronews.com/travel/2024/10/24/why-choosing-to-carbon-offset-your-flight-isnt-always-the-greenest-option"><span style="font-weight:inherit;">carbon emissions</span></a><strong>.</strong></p>
<p style="line-height:24px;margin-top:16px;letter-spacing:-0.02em;color:#1a1b1b;font-family:Inter, 'Arial size-adjust', Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">Industry agrees and ferry operators stand ready to deliver a route, but the Scottish government lacks the courage to support Project Brave,” claims Neale Hanvey, former leader of the Alba party. </p>
<p style="line-height:24px;margin-top:16px;letter-spacing:-0.02em;color:#1a1b1b;font-family:Inter, 'Arial size-adjust', Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">“What can be done to encourage the Scottish government to invest a modest amount of pump-prime funding to realise the economic and environmental benefits that would be felt by all across the UK?”</p>
<p style="line-height:24px;margin-top:16px;letter-spacing:-0.02em;color:#1a1b1b;font-family:Inter, 'Arial size-adjust', Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">If the service were to launch, it would be a crossing of around 20 hours, making it one of the longest sea journeys in Europe. The current longest crossing is from Portsmouth, UK, to <a style="color:#d93e25;font-weight:600;" href="https://www.euronews.com/travel/2022/11/17/pet-friendly-cabins-tapas-and-boutique-shops-onboard-the-new-ferry-from-ireland-to-spain"><span style="font-weight:inherit;">Bilbao, Spain</span></a><strong>,</strong> which takes between 27 and 30 hours.</p>
<h2 style="font-size:20px;margin-top:32px;letter-spacing:-0.4px;line-height:24px;color:#1a1b1b;font-family:Inter, 'Arial size-adjust', Arial, sans-serif;">When did Scotland last have a direct ferry to Europe?</h2>
<p style="line-height:24px;margin-top:16px;letter-spacing:-0.02em;color:#1a1b1b;font-family:Inter, 'Arial size-adjust', Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">From 2002, <a style="color:#d93e25;font-weight:600;" href="https://www.euronews.com/travel/2024/11/08/want-to-move-to-europe-scotland-offers-affordable-living-and-beautiful-scenery"><span style="font-weight:inherit;">Scotland</span></a> had a direct ferry connection to Zeebrugge in <a style="color:#d93e25;font-weight:600;" href="https://www.euronews.com/travel/2024/03/30/the-return-of-the-night-train-belgium-plans-to-boost-sleeper-services-during-its-eu-presid"><span style="font-weight:inherit;">Belgium</span></a> from its port in Rosyth. Operated by Superfast Ferries, the service was an overnight crossing of around 17 hours, departing around four times per week.</p>
<p style="line-height:24px;margin-top:16px;letter-spacing:-0.02em;color:#1a1b1b;font-family:Inter, 'Arial size-adjust', Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><span style="letter-spacing:-0.32px;">Although the summer months saw good demand for the service from passengers, concerns mounted over the lack of freight on the crossing. In 2005, the crossing frequency was reduced to just three times per week. </span></p>
<p style="line-height:24px;margin-top:32px;letter-spacing:-0.02em;color:#1a1b1b;font-family:Inter, 'Arial size-adjust', Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">The following year, Superfast Ferries adjusted its vessel from the Superfast X to the smaller Blue Star I, operated by its sister company Blue Star Ferries. Then, in 2008, the service was discontinued entirely.</p>
<p style="line-height:24px;margin-top:16px;letter-spacing:-0.02em;color:#1a1b1b;font-family:Inter, 'Arial size-adjust', Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">Unperturbed by the poor performance of the route, Norfolkline, a subsidiary of Danish company DFDS, picked up the service in 2009 with a three weekly overnight crossing. But that didn’t last long either, as DFDS pulled the passenger service from the route in 2010, citing insufficient demand.</p>
<p style="line-height:24px;margin-top:16px;letter-spacing:-0.02em;color:#1a1b1b;font-family:Inter, 'Arial size-adjust', Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">DFDS continued to run a freight-only service between Rosyth and Zeebrugge until 2018, when it closed following a fire on board its freight ship.</p>