A passenger and freight service operated by the Danish ferry giant DFDS could launch in spring 2026. At 20 hours, the journey would be one of the longest in Europe.
Initially, the service is expected to carry 51,000 passengers, with projections reaching 79,000. This could inject around £11.5 million into the Scottish economy each year, a significant sum.
An additional bonus would be the equivalent of 8.2 km of lorry traffic lifted off UK roads, contributing to a no less significant reduction in carbon emissions.
Nicknamed ‘Project Brave’, the route would connect Rosyth in Fife with Dunkirk in France. The idea was first mentioned in 2022, around the same time that Bruges officials confirmed talks on reviving the Rosyth–Zeebrugge freight-only service. However, that plan never moved forward. The reason was the same obstacle that had stalled Dunkirk for years: new post-Brexit border rules. Bruges Mayor Dirk De Fauw explained that the mandatory introduction of the EU’s Entry/Exit System for UK passengers would have required significant investment in security equipment and costly adjustments to port infrastructure, including quays, berths and reception facilities. The financial burden proved too high, and the project was abandoned.
Dunkirk faced a similar impasse. Post-Brexit checks on goods would have required the construction of costly new inspection facilities at Rosyth, which was deemed unnecessary and too expensive to justify the route.
Everything changed in May when Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced progress on a new agreement with the EU aimed at easing trade by ‘reducing the red tape’. Although negotiations are ongoing, the deal would remove routine checks on plants and animals, thereby improving the flow of goods.
In the meantime, the existing Border Control Post (BCP) facility at Grangemouth, 24 km from Rosyth, could be used until a permanent agreement is reached. The use of remote BCPs has already been authorised in England.
Scotland Secretary Ian Murray has championed this approach. He wrote to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Steve Reed, and to the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales, outlining how the service could operate without a BCP at Rosyth and instead use a transitional inspection site. He has also urged an urgent amendment to the regulations.
This is what our deal with the EU means for you. pic.twitter.com/XGWk8ETPTe
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) May 19, 2025
It is now up to the Scottish Government to legalise the use of Grangemouth – a move that requires cross-GB consensus.
Scottish MP Graeme Downie welcomed the breakthrough, allowing for passenger and freight service, “an incredible boon for the Dunfermline and Scottish economy, making trade easier as well as making it simpler for people from Europe to visit the kingdom of Fife”.
He highlighted Dunfermline, Scotland’s newest city and its ancient capital, as the final resting place of its kings and queens. He also mentioned the Fife Coastal Path, “fantastic for walking and cycling holidays”, historic villages like Culross, “part of the Pilgrims Way Walk to St. Andrew and more recently filming location for shows like Outlander“.
Because this @UKLabour government has reset relations with both the EU and Scottish Government, I have been able to work with @IanMurray to remove a major barrier to a ferry between Rosyth and Dunkirk.
— Graeme Downie MP (@GraemeDownieMP) August 13, 2025
This service would bring huge benefits to Fife.https://t.co/cAdQMOwWJM
While acknowledging the complexities of the process, Downie described the latest developments as ‘a huge stride forward’ and expressed hope that, despite the need for a ‘small amount of infrastructure at Rosyth’, all problems could be resolved.
The project is backed by major Fife employers, including Amazon and the seafood company Mowi.
The Dunkirk route will restore Rosyth’s only direct link to mainland Europe, which was lost when the Zeebrugge service ceased freight operations in 2018.
