Eimskip, the Icelandic shipping company that operates on Portland’s waterfront, and local officials will host a visiting delegation from Reykjavik on Wednesday. The visit is intended to enhance business prospects between Maine and the island nation that is a gateway to much of the European market.

“It is great to experience the enthusiasm from governments and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic to strengthen relationships capitalizing on Eimskip’s Green Line,” Larus Isfeld, managing director of Eimskip USA, said in a news release. “We will continue to invest in connecting people both culturally and geopolitically, and business will follow. This visit is a result of Maine’s Gubernatorial Trade Mission to Iceland in 2014, where city officials from Portland met with Reykjavik city officials.”

Joining Eimskip executives in welcoming eight city administrators from Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital, will be members of the Maine North Atlantic Development Office, known as MENADO, the Maine Port Authority, staff from the city of Portland and Mayor Michael Brennan.

In addition to touring the city, the visitors will take part in discussions about developing reciprocal relationships around the promotion of tourism, arts and cultural events, as well as cooperative industry-based relationships.

“We’re exploring concepts as simple as serving Icelandic hot dogs in Portland and serving Maine lobster rolls in Reykjavik – swapping our best-loved comfort food during the summer months,” MENADO director Dana Eidsness said in the news release.

MENADO is a program of the Maine International Trade Center, which was founded in 2013 to develop increased trade, investment, and cultural and academic exchanges among Maine and the markets of the North Atlantic region, and policies regarding Arctic affairs.


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