RHA welcomes news of Scotland-Belgium ferry route

The potential for a DFDS route supported by freight firm Ptarmigan Shipping between Rosyth in Scotland and Zeebrugge in Belgium has been described as "useful" by the RHA.

At present, some 90% of all UK freight is handled in the south-east of England – regardless the distance it has to travel across Great Britain.

Trade from Zeebrugge in Belgium, the UK’s seventh largest trading partner, has increased 12% year-on-year and a direct route would benefit the Scottish economy as well as help support other ports across Scotland the UK – especially freight transiting through the Dover Straits.

Useful

Speaking to The National newspaper about the potential route, policy director for Scotland and Northern Ireland, Martin Reid, said it could work for freight where time was not an issue.

He told the paper: “The crossing would be useful for non-time-critical freight, like machinery or grain, but less so for goods that have to get to market in Europe quickly, like fresh fish, which is one of the reasons why we have fewer international haulage operators’ licences issued in Scotland than is the case in England; we are so far away in terms of time spent on ferries.”