A NEW ferry route to Norway is being planned as Scotland’s second direct European sea link.
A twice-weekly service between Rosyth and either Kristiansund or Trondheim in mid-Norway is being considered that would serve both the tourism and freight markets.

The route could be operated by Superfast, which has carried 500,000 passengers since launching nightly sailings between Rosyth and Zeebrugge in Belgium in 2002.

Opening a direct sea connection with Scotland’s nearest continental neighbour is seen as likely to bring a large influx of Norwegian tourists, who are used to travelling by ferry to destinations within their own country.

Norway is regarded as an important niche market for British tourists, with Kristiansund one of the ports of call for the Hurtigruten, the popular coastal steamer service to the north of Norway. The area also boasts year-round skiing on glaciers.

The link could also prove attractive for its duty-free market, since Norway is not in the European Union.

Even more important, the ferry would provide a much faster and cheaper route for transporting seafood, oil industry parts and other goods to the UK from Norway’s second largest manufacturing area.

Hauliers are believed to prefer a route to Kristiansund, on the west coast, north of Bergen. A fast catamaran ferry could then take tourists to the historic city of Trondheim, up a fjord 80 miles to the east.

Superfast, a Greek company, told The Scotsman yesterday it was examining the feasibility of a Norwegian service from Rosyth after being approached by Norwegian businesses.

Yannis Criticos, a director of Attica Enterprises, which owns Superfast, said: "We are in the very early stages of examining an expression of interest from the Norwegian side."

Professor Alf Baird, a ferry expert helping to open up new North Sea routes, said prospects for the service were excellent. Prof Baird, a project manager for the Northern Maritime Corridor Project, said: "It is a low-risk but logical option. The business plan prepared by the Norwegian group looks very good indeed.

"The UK is seen as a good destination by Norwegians. There are already port facilities at Rosyth and Kristiansund, and the route would help build up a critical mass at Rosyth.

"It now requires the commitment of a ferry operator to put a vessel on the route."

Prof Baird said hauliers in mid-Norway currently faced high costs to transport freight south by land. While much of the ferry freight would be bound for Britain, some loads, such as fish on its way to Spain, could be transferred to Superfast’s Zeebrugge service.

The news comes as the Scottish National Party today launches a campaign for an expansion of ferry routes from Rosyth.

Douglas Chapman, the SNP’s general election candidate for West Fife, said: "This is a tremendous opportunity, and the ferry trip can be part of the holiday for tourists."

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