A new ferry service linking the UK with France looks set to get the go-ahead later this year, possibly as early as May, after officials from the French port suggested the historic route will be reopened in 2026....and both rugby fans and history buffs will be delighted!

The project, looking to bring back the direct ferry link - in the form of a freight and passenger service - has been marred by delays in recent years. If it goes ahead, UK tourists will be able to travel directly to one of France's most famous destinations with its historic beach. It has been nearly eight years since freight ferries sailing between this UK port and Europe and more than 15 years since the last passenger service ceased operations. Officials from the French port have suggested the route will be launched by ferry operator DFDS later this year or early in 2027.

Earlier projections to re-establish the international link by this spring appear to have been set back. However, Dunkirk Port said this week that it was looking forward to the new crossing to Rosyth in Scotland ahead of the Six Nations rugby tournament in early 2027.

The proposed new Rosyth-Dunkirk crossing would be operated by DFDS, potentially with a 20-hour journey, three times a week.

Port supervisory board vice president and Dunkirk mayor Patrice Vergriete confirmed that it will go ahead, according to a report in The National.

"The question is not 'is it going to happen' but rather 'when'," he said. "Customers are there. Scotland is looking forward to this new service, and we are looking forward to it as well."

Derek Sloan, the shipping expert behind the project, meanwhile, has also toldThe National that the service will be going ahead.

While there are still some details to be confirmed which may delay the start of the service until later this year or next, as Vergriete suggests - Sloan said a May launch date is still currently possible.

A DFDS spokesperson, meanwhile, said: "DFDS is still interested in the service, and we are actively engaged in constructive discussions with the local authorities.

"Progress is being made, and we remain optimistic about the potential of this new route, but there is no firm timeline yet."

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "We are continuing to work with DFDS to assess the long-term commercial viability of the proposed service.

"A consultation on proposals to amend the minimum requirements for the location of a border control post ended last week and next steps will be announced in due course.

"We have always made clear our support for the development of Scotland's ports and the potential for new direct freight and passenger ferry services linking Scotland to Europe.

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

A direct route to mainlandEurope is seen as beneficial for both hauliers and tourists, bringing economic benefits for Scotland.

Exporters would have more direct access to the European market post-Brexit than using ports in England, and would be able to reduce road miles and emissions.

The ferry route would also make Scotland easier to access for tourists travelling with campervans, motorbikes or bicycles.

Scots currently need to travel down to Newcastle if they want to take a ferry to mainland Europe.

The only major service from Scotland in recent years took freight and passengers from Rosyth, just outside the Scottish capital, to Zeebrugge in Belgium.

Superfast Ferries initially launched the route in 2002, but it was later taken over by Norfolkline, which was then acquired by the Danish company DFDS. By 2010, the passenger element was scrapped with DFDS blaming a lack of demand.

The company then axed its freight service between Rosyth and Zeebrugge in 2018 following a fire on one of its ships.

At the time, the operator said it had "lost all hope" of reversing the fortunes of the already "loss-making" route, the BBC reports.