Iceland's President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson visited Portland, Maine, on Friday to celebrate the move made by the Icelandic shipping company Eimskip to make Portland its new North American operation center.
Grímsson's visit coincided with Maine International Trade Day, where he was the keynote speaker. He called Portland a key shipping link, and said that polar melting may actually help northern ports like Maine, as the opening of arctic shipping lanes could speed up international shipping by 40 percent during warmer months.
Maine's seafood industry is also expected to benefit from Eimskip's presence as the company's operations will be bringing more international trade — including fish from Norway — directly to that port.
