Scots to link with Europe?
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TALKS are going on between the Scottish Tourist Board and the Scottish Office about a regular ferry service between Leith and northern Europe. But it seems likely that the serviceis still some years ahead — and Leith faces competition from Dundee to be Scotland's first roll-on, roll-off sea link with the continent.
Discussions with four European shipping lines last month revealed that the two companies most interested are already heavily committed to other routes and would need more ships before opening another route.
Phillip Taylor, chief executive of the Tourist Board, said he would be discussing with the Scottish Office whether any public money would be available for the venture. Leith clearly has the facilities for such a service, and there are proposals to build a pier at Dundee.
Mr Taylor said: "While we are getting a reasonable response from the shipping lines at the moment we are talking in strategical rather than immediate terms. There is a basis for hoping that we will see scheduled ferry services into eastern Scotland from Northern Europe, and certainly two lines have expressed an interest.
"But it is unlikely there would be a link from both the Forth and the Tay in the foreseeable future. The Tourist Board are only concerned that there should be one."
The two firms most interested are Tor Line, of Sweden, and Prince Dine, of Hamburg, West Germany.
Discussions began early last year on the initiative of the Tourist Board, and have so far involved the Forth and Tay ports authorities, and local authorities. The only British firm to be consulted so far is P. & 0. Line, which operates the ferry between Aberdeen and Shetland.