Wednesday 5th January 2011 Freight ferry service from Rosyth to Zeebrugge reopens
DFDS Seaways has reopened its freight service from Rosyth to
Zeebrugge with two ships, and four departures a week sailing from each
port. Route director Allan Hull said: "The freight service between
Rosyth and Zeebrugge has been very popular with the haulage industry
which has recognised the benefits of the route providing the only
direct Ro-Ro (roll-on, roll-off) link between Scotland and the
continent. While it was a matter of deep regret that the passenger
service had to be withdrawn, we saw potential in enhancing the freight
service to meet increased demand from the sector. Our new schedule
will see two Ro-Ro ships operate on the route with the number of
sailings increasing from three to four departures a week. This will
increase overall weekly capacity by 25%." Fife

Wednesday 15th December 2010 New Forth bridge plan to be approved
Construction of the new Forth road bridge will begin in 2011, under
plans to be approved by MSPs. The Scottish Parliament will soon pass
the legislation needed to build the £2bn crossing. The work on the new
crossing should be completed by 2016. The plans come amid concerns
over the condition of the existing 40 years old bridge, linking
Edinburgh and Fife, which has been deteriorating. The bridge, to be
paid for by the Scottish government's capital budget, was brought
forward because of the condition of the existing crossing. Fife

Tuesday 9th November 2010 Rosyth ferry diverted south in appalling weather
87 passengers have finally stepped on dry land after a day at sea in
atrocious weather conditions. The NorthLink ferry Hjaltland was
stranded off the north east coast of Scotland after travelling
overnight from Shetland. It was due to dock at Aberdeen at 0700 GMT on
Monday November 8 but finally docked at Rosyth at about 0115 on
Tuesday November 9. It was diverted south after two failed attempts to
get into harbour at Aberdeen. At the time of the decision to redirect
the ferry, a spokesman said: "We looked at Rosyth as an alternative
earlier but discounted it because the severe south westerly winds
would have made for an extremely uncomfortable journey. The wind is
now blowing more from an easterly direction and that will allow us to
make the trip south a little easier. The strong winds and wave
conditions around Aberdeen were showing no signs of abating." Fife

Monday 7th June 2010 Tide strands party goers
A group of partygoers were stranded overnight on a tiny island in the
Firth of Forth after being cut off by the rising tide. The 500 or so
revellers had gathered on Cramond Island after walking across the
causeway which is revealed only at low tide. 200 of them still
remained that night as the tide came in and submerged the causeway,
their only means of escape.

Police and coastguards then mounted an operation to rescue them after
the weather took a turn for the worse. Coastguard watch manager Angus
MacIver said: "We understood there had been a large gathering of young
people on the island. The difficulties arose when the weather
conditions deteriorated from a hot sunny day to a cold night with
northerly winds and rain. We were then concerned for their well being
and the risk of exposure to the weather.”

There were no reports of any serious injuries after the last of the
people were removed to safety Fife

Friday 23rd April 2010 Fife historic wall destruction stopped
The council have ordered work to demolish a historic wall in Fife must
be stopped and the damage done rectified after protests by local
people. Part of the 250-year-old Falkland wall had been demolished by
Lomond Homes but a campaign has successfully halted the work.

One of the campaigners, Stuart Haszeldine said: "We have succeeded in
a comprehensive and unique victory. This was a big team effort, the
campaign group discovered an existing law - The Planning (Listed
Buildings and Conservation Areas) Scotland Act 1997, which states that
if structures are an important part of a conservation area - then the
local authority can apply for powers to preserve them. We presented
this to the council and they have placed a stop order on the building
work.” Fife

Tuesday 2nd February 2010 MSPs to look at new Forth crossing plans
Scottish Parliament’s transport committee will soon have the
opportunity to question project managers for the Forth Replacement
Crossing. Plans for the new bridge are about to be revealed to the
MSPs ahead of them being debated at Holyrood in a few months time.

The present Forth Road Bridge was built in 1964 and has a number of
ongoing servicing problems as the condition of the bridge slowly
deteriorates. The committee is tasked with examining the new proposals
in detail and, if parliament approves the plans, the five-year long
construction of the new bridge could begin next year. Fife

Monday 12th October 2009 Dangerous catch for Scottish fishermen
A fishing boat dragged up more than just fish in its net while out in
the Firth of Forth, Scotland on Saturday evening (10.9.09). When they
hauled in the net the crew found they’d snagged a wartime mine, which
they promptly dropped back on the sea bed and alerted the Forth
Coastguard.

Royal navy divers are expected to visit the site, reported as off the
shore of Port Seton, near Edinburgh, where they will carry out a
controlled explosion.

A coastguard spokesman told the press: "The fishermen were about six
miles out and they dragged it in. It was dark but they think it was a
mine. The fishing boat left it on the seabed and went back to port for
the night." Fife

Monday 24th August 2009 Mass dial find helps solve time riddle in Firth of Forth
A mass dial, a type of ecclesiastical sun dial, has been found among
artefacts previously discovered at Inchcolm Island. Fragments of the
dial were pieced together by conservationists who were sifting through
around 50 stone fragments previously stored at the former Augustinian
abbey at Inchcolm.

The daily routine of the Augustinian canons was one of strict routine
and so a means of measuring time was essential to them. However, a
mass dial such as the recent find can, like any sundial, only help
when the weather is fine and the sun is shining! Alternatives, such as
candle clocks, would have been needed on darker days. Fife