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Cllr Douglas Chapman, representing Fife Council at the CPMR in Bayonne, France, presented a resolution to national representatives across Europe to gain more support for ferry services, such as the new service which will run between Rosyth and Zeebrugge as from next Spring. Cllr Chapman who had to negotiate the resolution with UK representatives, then North Sea countries level and then finally with all the European regions represented said "To get this resolution agreed to by all the regions represented here was quite a feat, but what it does is to open the door to allow the Scottish and UK governments to offer more support to ferry operators, such as Norfolkline, if these sea routes can be proved to be more environmentally sustainable than taking freight by road. I was encouraged by European Commissioner Borg, who attended the conference, when he confirmed that the movement of freight by sea would be more common in the EU in the future, but that sea - borne transport had to be more environmentally friendly than it is today. In terms of the new Rosyth ferry, it is expected that the new ship for the Rosyth route and currently under construction, will be more than 30% more fuel efficient than the previous Superfast vessel, so I am hoping for further support from the Commissioner on this point. We now have to work with the Scottish Government to take this resolution to the next level and I will be contacting the Minister to see how we can make further progress and have this principle accepted across Europe. For everyone in Scotland, it's important that this time, the Rosyth ferry has a optimistic and sustainable future. Fife Council's successful presentation of our resolution marks the first step in securing the long lasting future of our ferry service and other routes that may come into the frame soon. A big thank you should also go to Fife Council's Bruce Manson whose hard work, experience and skill helped turn the resolution into a success." |
