Rosyth ferry: It's up to Scottish Government to 'make it happen'

That's according to Neale Hanvey, who said Holyrood's ministers and transport chiefs had "done nothing" to help re-open the route into Europe for passengers and freight.

The Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath MP explained: "Up to now, the response of the Scottish Government has effectively been, 'We're not going to do anything about this until someone chaps our door and throws money at it'.

"Their position is that any new ferry, or reinstated, service will have to be commercially-viable.

"No-one is disputing that but operators are not going to come chapping at the door and begging to operate a ferry service. That's not how it works.

"Any operator needs to know that the Scottish Government sees it as a strategic objective, that there's an interest and commitment to the route that they'll support with border and port infrastructure, subsidies and employment."

He said post-Brexit Ireland had moved quickly to establish new ferry routes and connections with Europe.

The MP continued: "They've been incredibly impressive and we've done nothing.

"At a national level, we've discovered there's no maritime strategy worth a damn.

"It's like a haulier saying he'd like to haul his cargo from Scotland to England by road but then being told to build the motorway himself.

"The Government has taken a ludicrous position where the operator has to show all the gumption and all the funds."

Mr Hanvey, who left the SNP last March to join the Alba Party, praised his former party colleague, Douglas Chapman, the Dunfermline and West Fife MP who has long campaigned for the Rosyth ferry to start sailing again.

Mr Chapman told the Press previously he was "hugely optimistic" that the route would re-open this year.

Mr Hanvey said: "I do know there have been indications of interest in re-establishing the route from operators and Douglas' optimism is probably based on the conversations with potential European partners.

"Where the problem lies is at this end, with the Scottish Government.

"It's up to the Government to make it happen."

He said Calmac get a "significant" subsidy from the Scottish Government to run ferry services and that around £5 million to help get the Rosyth route up and running would be "small beer" in comparison.

Mr Hanvey said he was hopeful the new transport minister, Jenny Gilruth, the MSP for Mid-Fife and Glenrothes, would recognise the need for the ferry given both their constituencies have some of the most deprived areas in the country.

He said: "There's a desperate need to bring economic benefits to Fife and any subsidy the Government provides will be more than recouped, if done properly, through the creation of jobs and employment.

"From my point of view, it's important we develop our port resilience, get the ferry running and strengthen our connections with Europe for a future independence referendum, but it's not just about that.

"We need to do it anyway, even as part of the UK, to take pressure off Dover so our exports aren't sitting perishing on the dock as they wait to get out of the country and also for the climate challenge.

"Re-opening the route would cut the amount of fuel being used and carbon that's expelled by hundreds of lorries trundling up and down between Dover and the north of Scotland."

A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: "The Scottish Government strongly supports the development of Scotland’s ports and the potential for new direct ferry services linking Scotland to Europe.

“We continue to engage with port operators and others to explore how that might be delivered so that Scottish exporters have more direct, and resilient, routes to market."