This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Water grants lead the way
21/03/2005
Scotland is leading the way in the UK with a pioneering
scheme to get freight off congested roads and onto the
water, it was announced today.
The Waterborne Freight Grant (WFG) scheme will help meet
shipping costs for freight currently transported by road.
The grant will be available to canal, inland waterways and
short sea shipping operators.
Transport Minister Nicol Stephen said:
"The Executive is committed to taking freight off our
roads and this scheme will encourage companies to carry
their goods by water instead.
"With Scotland's roads getting more congested and the
working time directive kicking in next month, operators
will now get more help to start shipping services by
water.
"We already help towards capital costs at ports. This
scheme goes further and helps with the shipping route's
operating cost, making waterways an increasingly attractive
and competitive choice."
The WFG scheme has been finalised following a joint
consultation exercise by the Scottish Executive and the
Department for Transport with the freight and shipping
industries. Scotland is the first area in UK to introduce
this scheme. The WFG scheme will not only help with
shipping routes around Scotland, but also between Scotland,
the rest of the UK and mainland Europe.
The WFG complements the grant schemes already in place
to take more freight off Scotland's roads. The Freight
Facilities Grant scheme helps provide facilities at ports,
railheads etc and the Track Access Grant scheme is a
revenue based scheme for the rail freight industry. The
total amount available for the three grant schemes over the
next three years is £44m. The WFG scheme will give grants
towards a ship's running costs up to a maximum of two
million Euros for each project spread over three years.
The new scheme will contribute to the Executive's target
of making freight grant awards each year which will remove
2 million lorry miles annually from Scottish roads.