The company, which operates the country's largest container facility at Grangemouth, has hit out at plans to bring another international container terminal to the east coast of Scotland.

It believes the scheme it could have a knock-on effect for vital projects like the proposed Grangemouth Freight Hub.

Forth Ports claims a similar terminal in Rosyth is just not required – despite the Scottish Executive's National Planning Framework identifying a national need for it.

Instead, it is asking for more investment to be poured into the existing terminal to improve what is already there.

Michaela Sullivan, Forth Ports' head of planning, said: "Grangemouth is Scotland's leading container terminal and we have proposals to extend it.

''There is a need to improve road and rail links here but a need for a new terminal has not been proven."

Forth Ports believes the Scottish Ports Policy should follow guidelines laid down by the UK Ports Policy, which favours the growth of existing ports because it is more sustainable in the long term than the creation of new facilities.

The company has gained support for its stance from local politicians.

Falkirk East MSP Cathy Peattie said: "I'm right behind Forth Ports on this and I'm glad it is making a noise about it. I will be making a noise about it at the Scottish Parliament too.

"It's wrong to put Grange-mouth, one of the most successful ports in the UK, alongside this development in Rosyth – I've seen it and it's just a hole in the ground at the moment.

"Forth Ports is already here and is integral to Grangemouth and to the Scottish economy – if this development in Rosyth did go ahead it would pose a threat to Grangemouth and the surrounding area."

East Falkirk MP Michael Connarty added: "The only evidence there is a need for a new container facility at Rosyth to serve Scotland has come from the owner of the land in question.

''Forth Ports has based its investment decisions on estimates of container traffic growth and considers there to already be sufficient capacity to serve Scotland's container shipping needs on the east coast for the foreseeable future."

Babcock Marine, part of leading support services company Babcock Inter-national Group plc, is developing the land at Rosyth but claimed it has not yet decided what it will build there.

David McGinley, business development director, said: "Nothing is set in stone at this time.

''We are looking into developing the land and have been exploring a whole number of opportunities but there is no hard and fast view on
what form the develop-ment will take."