New ferry service between UK and France could start in 2025 - with 20-hour crossing

The new route could transport up to 80,000 people a year (Image: Getty)

A thrice-weekly ferry service across the North Sea could carry up to 80,000 people a year and be operational as soon as this summer. The ferry link would connect Rosyth in Scotland with Dunkirk in France and be run by leading Danish operator DFDS. It is expected to initially service around 51,000 travellers annually, alongside freight cargo, before growing to an estimated 79,000. The project was originally slated for completion this spring - but funding issues have pushed it back to summer 2025, by which point DFDS hopes to have secured a £2.9 million (€3.5 million) grant from the Scottish Government.

It will mark the reinstatement of an axed transport link between Scotland and northern Europe, with a ferry service between Rosyth and Zeebrugge in Belgium in operation between 2002 and 2008, before it was discontinued after a fire outbreak onboard one of the vessels. While ferries between Portsmouth and Normandy will remain the busiest route between the UK and France, the new Rosyth service is expected to deliver a sizeable boost to Scotland's economy, injecting over £11 million in revenue, according to Labour MP Graeme Downie.

The new service would set off from the port of Rosyth, near Edinburgh (Image: Getty)

The new route, nicknamed 'Project Brave', was first proposed back in 2022 and would run three weekly journeys back and forth across the North Sea, according to Metro.

Each trip would take around 20 hours - making it one of the longest ferry journeys in Europe. The longest existing route, between Portsmouth and Bilbao in Spain, clocks in at just over 27 hours.

Speaking in Westminster last November, Mr Downie said: "It is estimated the direct ferry link would initially carry 51,000 passengers a year, rising to 79,000, bringing an additional £11.5 million of spend to the Scottish economy."

The new scheme could provide a post-Brexit boost to passenger and freight links between the UK and mainland Europe, with travellers expected to be given the choice of taking vehicles on the ferry for increased flexibility once landing.

But DFDS previously hit out at a "lack of support" for the project from both the Scottish and UK governments. In January, Mr Downie said the UK government was "unable" to fund the service but had been "very helpful in introductions" to other funding possibilities, Dunfermline Press reported.

"I will continue to do everything I can to make this project a reality for the benefit it would bring to local people and the local economy," he added. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for DFDS confirmed they were "actively engaged in constructive discussions" with authorities to overcome funding hurdles.

"Progress is being made, and we remain optimistic about the potential of this new route," they said.