A new ferry route from the UK to Iceland is in the works

From Britain, it’s easy to take a ferry to some of our neighbouring countries. You can hop across the channel to Santander and Bilbao in Spain, or to Calais, Roscoff and Dunkirk (among others) in France. But what about Iceland?

A new passenger and freight ferry route from Aberdeen in Scotland to Seydisfjordur, a town on Iceland’s east coast has been proposed. Officials from the Port of Aberdeen have met with Dagmar Ýr Stefánsdóttir, the Mayor of Múlaþing, a municipality in eastern Iceland, to discuss the plans. 

Bob Sanguinetti, chief executive of the Port of Aberdeen, said that the port was looking to diversify its network of passenger and cargo services to northern Europe. He said: ‘A regular service between Aberdeen and Iceland would certainly be of interest to the port.’

Austerfrett, an Icelandic news website, reported that Stefánsdóttir ‘said it is pos­it­ive that the parties are talk­ing to each other, but expects it to take a few years to get the ser­vices up and run­ning’. 

An unnamed ferry operator has reportedly expressed interest in the proposal, however it’s still early days for the scheme. A main issue with the proposal is whether there will be enough freight traffic to make the route commercially viable, with passenger numbers alone unlikely to be enough for a regular service. Border and customs arrangements would also have to be made because Iceland is part of the Schengen Area while the UK is not.

There have also been calls for future routes to stop in Orkney. Green party MSP Kristopher Leask said a service to the Highlands and islands could strengthen Scotland’s links with the Nordic countries and create new opportunities for tourism and trade.  

ICYMI: Britain’s best island, according to Condé Nast Traveller.