Post by ferryfast admin on Dec 3, 2007 15:26:00 GMT -5
Mon 3 Dec 2007
Rosyth bid to land Norwegian ferry link
IAN SWANSON SCOTTISH POLITICAL EDITOR (iswanson@edinburghnews.com)
TRANSPORT Minister Stewart Stevenson is being asked to lead a fresh drive to secure a ferry link between the Forth and Norway.
Plans by a Norwegian consortium to establish a UK-Norway ferry service have been delayed following a decision to re-tender the route.
But the postponement means a second chance for Rosyth to promote its claim for the link over those of rivals Newcastle and Hull.
And Labour MSP John Park wants Mr Stevenson to put his weight behind the Rosyth bid, which he says could transform the Fife port into a European transport hub and give a major boost to the east of Scotland economy.
The new service would go from the Norwegian port of Kristiansund to Lerwick in Shetland and on to Roysth, where freight bound for the continent could be transferred to the existing Rosyth- Zeebrugge ferry.
Transport experts believe the new service would attract major freight business, offer a new tourist route between Scotland and Scandinavia and help restore a daily Zeebrugge service.
Norway has been planning a ferry to the UK for more than three years. But a statement last week from Norshukon Link, the consortium of councils and transport firms behind the plan, said the route was being put out to tender again following a decision not to award the service to any of the five potential operators. It said: "The decision to re-advertise was taken as a result of careful consideration of the information submitted by bidders and took into account key factors such as escalating fuel costs and vessel charter rate."
Mr Park, MSP for mid-Scotland and Fife, said an announcement on the successful bid had been expected by the end of November and the announcement would now mean a delay of at least six months.
He said: "I am disappointed we are facing another delay on the decision on the Norway ferry service. Rosyth has the capacity and potential to build on the existing Zeebrugge service to become a continental shipping hub.
"I will be writing to the minister and calling on the Scottish Government to set up a group for interested parties to work together to secure this service for Rosyth.
"This needs a commitment at the most senior level if we are serious about trying to make Rosyth what we want - an international port.
"I believe the Fife yard is best placed to become the UK hub of this new European service and I will be working hard to try and achieve this."
The revised timetable for the bid will see expressions of interest being sought immediately, with a preferred operator being appointed in spring 2008.
The initial bids will be for a freight-only service with the possibility of extending it to include passengers and cars later on.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "Mr Stevenson will be happy to meet with Mr Park to discuss this matter."
This article: news.scotsman.com/politics.cfm?id=1888172007
Last updated: 03-Dec-07 12:18 GMT
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1 December, 2007
THE RISING cost of fuel has forced a Shetland/Norwegian consortium of public and private interests to scrap their immediate plans for a passenger ferry between Norway's west coast and the UK mainland in favour of a freight service.
This summer the NORSHUKON Link partners, who include Shetland transport partnership ZetTrans, invited five ship operators to tender for the service, described as the "motorway of the sea".
Yesterday the group announced that after detailed evaluation of submissions they had been forced to re-advertise the contract due to "rapidly escalating fuel costs and vessel charter rates".
Next week they will be placing a new advert in the Official Journal of the European Union seeking new companies to tender for a freight ro-ro service, possibly with a reduced passenger and car capacity.
The NORSHUKON project was set up by Møregruppen AS, a group of private firms and local authorities based around the oil and fishing port of Kristiansund, north of Bergen.
The Norwegians hoped to reduce their transport costs by moving freight heading for northern Europe from the road to the sea, connecting through a UK port like Rosyth or Newcastle.
ZetTrans jumped on board the plan after losing their existing ferry link with Norway when the Faroese operator Smyril Line withdrew Lerwick from their sailing schedule.
ZetTrans manager Ken Duerden said yesterday (Friday): "During the tender process a few things have changed quite significantly, not least fuel prices, and passenger ships tend to burn more fuel than freight ships."
He added that there was a shortage of the type of passenger/freight vessels they had been looking for on the route, which was also pushing up costs.
"A number of the operators we have been talking to have been saying they believe the service could be more sustainable if we start off with a freight service and work up to carrying passengers as the market develops," he explained.
Mr Duerden said they wanted to take their time to make sure they got this right, and they were tying the tendering exercise in with two European funding programmes, Marco Polo and the TEN-T schemes.
The deadline for expressions of interest will be in mid January with full bids in by late February so an operator can be appointed some time in the spring. However, the service is not expected to be up and running until summer 2009.
He stressed that the long term aim was to have a passenger and freight service which would help boost tourism between Norway, Shetland and the UK mainland.
Møregruppen and Shetland Development Trust joint funded the £100,000 feasibility study into the the link. The partners may need to find more money to cover the cost of re-advertising the contract.