July record for Scots ferry link

The ferry service was launched in May 2002

The operator of Scotland's continental ferry service have revealed that July was its best month so far for freight traffic.

The Greek-owned Superfast company has been running overnight sailings linking Rosyth in Fife and Zeebrugge in Belgium since May last year.

It is Scotland's only direct and regular ferry link with continental Europe.

The company said the introduction of the route has been a huge success, attracting 100,000 passengers so far, many of whom were new tourists to Scotland.

But while passenger use has been consistently high, the ferry operator said it has taken longer to attract road hauliers, whose business is essential to the viability of the service.

The crossing to the Belgian port of Zeebrugge takes more than 17 hours and saves passengers and truckers having to drive via Hull or the English Channel ports.