b'4Ameri SPONSORED CONTENT ajot.comcan Journal ofTransportationReefers key to Eimskip and the Port of Portland, Maine moving forwardBy George Lauriat, AJOT but also calling on Argentia in Newfoundland and Lab- phasethe foundation for the facility. Eimskip, the Icelandic ocean carrier, is the worldsrador, as well as Halifax in Nova Scotia. We adjusted theAnd in many respects the Cold Store is a founda-only pan-Arctic steamship line and says its liner busi- routing of the Green Line to call the U.S. first insteadtional piece of the cold chain infrastructure of not only ness calls the North Atlantic its home market.Fromof Canada, prioritizing speed to market for fresh salmonthe Port of Portland but for the region. Eimskip USA in the carriers home in Reykjavik, Iceland the vessels call adestined for the U.S. signing a contract with Cold Store brought home the point. unique circuit of ports with exotic names such as ArgentiaAnd the change in schedule has been justified byOur containers have never been intended for long-in Newfoundland, Nuuk in Greenland, Thorshavn in thethe increased demand, Our growth is primarily driventerm storage, which is why the new cold store will sig-Faroe Islands, or Batsfjord and Kirkenes in the far north- by frozen and fresh seafood. With the opening of a newnificantly boost volume throughput at the terminal. Were ern reaches of Norway. Eimskips service schedule is lit- 106,000 sq. ft. cold storage facility in Portland ME, wealready receiving numerous requests from our ocean cus-erally one of a kind. Besides calls in the far reaches of theare seeing a significant increase in requests to store frozentomers who want to store their inventories in the cold North, Eimskip vessels also call at familiarly named portsfish for distribution across the U.S. These products origi- store for distribution within the U.S. Prior to the cold in Europe, while in the United States, Eimskip calls thenate from the North Atlantic and include species such asstores construction, we had to truck all cargo destined for Port of Portland, Maine home. frozen cod, haddock, salmon, bait, capelin, and others. storage down to Boston, even though the products were The largest area of growth is in fresh salmon. We areultimately processed in Portland, Sigfusson said of the t heg reenL ines erviCe currently moving on our container vessels fresh salmoncold storage facility. He also believes The new facility The Green Line service links the U.S. via a keyfrom Iceland and the Faroe Islands, and at a significantlywill help us attract customers dealing with frozen fish and first inbound call at the Port of Portland, Maine to Europeless emission compared to airfreight or around 94% less.other frozen products from the North Atlantic, including via Reykjavik, Iceland. And the Green Line is a linchpinThis segment is expected to grow even further over theregions like Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, for all Eimskip USAs North American activities.next 25 years and in Iceland alone, production is pro- Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Norway, the UK, Gylfi Sigfusson, CEO of Eimskip USA, said of thejected to rise from approximately 50,000 tons to 100,000and Mainland Europe.Green Lines activities in 2024, We performed well intons within that time frame and even beyond that.2024 after a rough start in the first quarter. We ended theW AterFrontL ABorC ontrACt inp LACeyear with the same volume as in 2023, moving approxi- C oLds torAge inp ortLAnd In March 2025, Eimskip USA and the International mately 38,250 loaded TEUs through the Port of Portland. Among the important infrastructure improvementsLongshoremens (ILA) 861 signed a new six-year labor Sigfusson pointed out that Eimskip has graduallywas the opening of a new cold storage facility in Port- contract. The contract was important both for labor and increasedcapacityontheGreenLinebyintroducingland. The Cold Store facility officially opened on Feb- management as it provides stability and security for all larger vessels while maintaining a consistent weekly ser- ruary 10, 2025. It was a long-awaited cold storage andparties. Sigfusson said of the agreement, For us it is vice with our three vessels. This strategy has allowed usasChelseaPettengill,ExecutiveDirectorMainePortgreat to have signed a six-year contract with the same to expand capacity without disrupting frequency. Authority (MPA) explained, its [the cold storage facil- dedicated workforce that has been with us from the start. In terms of business for the Green Line, Sigfussonity] been in the process for a number of times andOne of the key focuses during the negotiation, aside from said,2025hasstartedoffstrong,andweareseeingfinally Amber Infrastructure with a lease from the MPAsecuring a long-term agreement, was working on training growth in volume. The Green Line primarily connects thefor the ground was able to get the cold storage built. Pen- new union members to expand the team. Our relationship U.S. and Canada via short sea routes, but more impor- tengill, said the new facility specs included 13 truck bays,with the local ILA 861 union has always been strong, and tantly, it serves as a key link between North America and106,000 square feet [floor space] and a pallet capacitythey have been a significant part of our success.the North Atlantic region, including services to countriesfor about 21,000 pallets. The buildingssplit in two, soAnd it was clear with volumes growing both parties like Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Norwaythey can have two different cooler temperatures, but pri- needed to get a deal inked. To handle more volume, we via the Arctic area, as well as major mainland Europeanmarily operating around about negative 10 degrees Fahr- need to grow our workforce, and its been a great ben-ports such as Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, and Aarhus. enheit. Additionally, the building was equipped with oneefit to have had a win-win atmosphere during the nego-of Maines largest rooftop solar arrays, designed to offsettiations. Together, were moving forward to secure new s eAFood on theM enu around 20% of the buildings electricity costs. business opportunities. The atmosphere here is like one The Green Line is a reefer heavy service and thePentengillalsosaidthecoldstoragefacilitycostbig family, thats how we work. The time it took to final-principal cargo inbound is seafood. As Sigfusson pointedaround $55 million and that the State of Maine put $8.5ize the agreement was simply because we were waiting out, The Green Line is not only serving the U.S. marketmillionintotheprojectprimarilyfortheearlyworkfor the results, Sigfusson said of the [email protected], MaineA Temperature Controlled Logistics Hub eimskip.com | [email protected] | +1 207-331-3300Weekly SailingsCold Storage - 21,000 pallets Dry Warehouse - 200.000 sq.ft.Portland, ME to and from Drayage and Trucking ServiceN-EuropeCustoms Clearance'