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Ferry link to Norway hits rough water
Scotland faces losing out on a proposed ferry link to Norway because officials are not doing enough to beat competition from their English counterparts, it has been claimed.
A Norwegian consortium is considering a service to Rosyth from Kristiansand but rival port Newcastle is also vying for the twice-weekly crossing.
The group behind the crossing has today claimed it has been "disappointed" with the level of support from officials at Scottish Enterprise and VisitScotland.
Both organisations today said they needed more details of the proposal before they could make progress in talks.
It is understood any service from Norway could go via the Shetland Isles without adding too much time on to the journey, which is likely to involve an overnight sailing.
While much of the ferry freight would be bound for Britain, some loads could be transferred to Superfast Ferries 's Zeebrugge service, which was cut back to three sailings a week in 2005. Lack of demand for freight traffic meant a daily route was no longer viable.
Tourism is also likely to be a big draw for ferry passengers heading in both directions.
Lorentz Boxaspen, project manager for Moregruppen, the consortium of Norwegian councils and transport firms behind the bid, said: "We have had contact with both Scottish Enterprise and VisitScotland but I can't say that they have been too helpful.
"We are disappointed at the lack of response and help from the Scottish side. We believe there is a huge market to be tapped into between the UK and Norway."
A spokeswoman for VisitScotland said: "We would be delighted to collaborate on the marketing of a new ferry service linking Scotland and Norway, but we would need to see firm proposals in order to take this forward."
An SE spokesman said: Once the consortium can provide detailed, costed plans we will be happy to consider whether it is appropriate to support this with public funds."
A Norwegian consortium is considering a service to Rosyth from Kristiansand but rival port Newcastle is also vying for the twice-weekly crossing.
The group behind the crossing has today claimed it has been "disappointed" with the level of support from officials at Scottish Enterprise and VisitScotland.
Both organisations today said they needed more details of the proposal before they could make progress in talks.
It is understood any service from Norway could go via the Shetland Isles without adding too much time on to the journey, which is likely to involve an overnight sailing.
While much of the ferry freight would be bound for Britain, some loads could be transferred to Superfast Ferries 's Zeebrugge service, which was cut back to three sailings a week in 2005. Lack of demand for freight traffic meant a daily route was no longer viable.
Tourism is also likely to be a big draw for ferry passengers heading in both directions.
Lorentz Boxaspen, project manager for Moregruppen, the consortium of Norwegian councils and transport firms behind the bid, said: "We have had contact with both Scottish Enterprise and VisitScotland but I can't say that they have been too helpful.
"We are disappointed at the lack of response and help from the Scottish side. We believe there is a huge market to be tapped into between the UK and Norway."
A spokeswoman for VisitScotland said: "We would be delighted to collaborate on the marketing of a new ferry service linking Scotland and Norway, but we would need to see firm proposals in order to take this forward."
An SE spokesman said: Once the consortium can provide detailed, costed plans we will be happy to consider whether it is appropriate to support this with public funds."
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