Eimskip managers from 12 countries arrived in Portland on Monday for the company’s annual global management meeting, a first for the city and a sign that the Icelandic steamship line’s move to Maine is proving successful.

The company chose to host the annual meeting in Portland this year to introduce its managers to the New England market, said Larus Isfeld, managing director of Eimskip USA.

“As we invest more in our move to Portland, it’s important for our global managers to be aware of what Maine has to offer,” Isfeld said.

The managers are from Eimskip offices in China, Vietnam, Canada, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Holland, Belgium, United Kingdom, Faroe Islands and Iceland.

Eimskip last year made Portland its North American headquarters and its only port of call in the U.S.

Previously, Eimskip container vessels had called on Everett, Massachusetts, and Norfolk, Virginia. The company’s decision to hold its meeting in Portland shows that the move to Portland is working well for the company and that it intends to stay, said Chris Howard, a partner at the Pierce Atwood law firm who specializes in trade issues.

Eimskip President and CEO Gylfi Sigfússo arrived in Portland on Monday, along with other company officials, for the three-day meeting. On Tuesday, the company is inviting customers in New England to meet its managers and see the improvements being made at the International Marine Terminal. Construction work began last month to expand the facility to meet a rail line so containers can be placed on rail cars.

“Anytime you have the opportunity to bring together businesses in downtown Portland and showcase Portland and the state of Maine, that’s a good opportunity,” Howard said. ” More than that, it really demonstrates Eimskip’s commitment to the Portland facility as its North American headquarters.”

Eimskip is a niche steamship line that specializes in delivering cargo to small ports in the North Atlantic. It offers direct service between Portland, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Iceland, and Norway. From Norway, Eimskip operates routes that connect to ports in England, Russia, Germany and Europe’s largest port: Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Eimskip primarily imports frozen fish to the U.S. market.

The Portland meeting is critical because it allows Eimskip’s overseas managers to see Portland’s capabilities firsthand and meet with customers, said Patrick Arnold, who manages the terminal for the Maine Port Authority.

“These are the people in the Eimskip network who can help this grow,” he said.

Arnold said Eimskip’s managers will see that Portland is becoming a logistics hub that is poised to support growth in agricultural and seafood processing in Maine.

The meeting will take place at the Westin Portland Harborview hotel through Wednesday. Pierce Atwood will be hosting an invitation-only cocktail event Tuesday to celebrate Eimskip’s 100-year anniversary.

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