Portland, ME – Eimskip, has announced weekly service into the port of Portland, ME starting December 1, 2017.  Eimskip started calling on Portland in March of 2013 with bi-weekly service.  Since then, Eimskip´s traffic through the port has been growing 20% year over year and the company has been adding vessel calls steadily since.   "We are excited to finally reach our goal of weekly services to and from North America and Europe and the opportunities this will open up for us and our customers" said Gylfi Sigfusson, CEO of Eimskip.  Eimskip will be - after these changes - offering weekly services to and from Portland, Halifax Nova Scotia, Argentia New Foundland and Reykjavik Iceland connecting with Scandinavia, U.K. and mainland Europe “ The state of Maine Port Authority and Department of Transportation have been preparing for growth at the International Marine Terminal with the recently awarded federal "FastLane" grant.  This grant will allow for the acquisition of a 2nd mobile harbor crane and investments to efficiency upgrades at the terminal.  "We are very excited that Eimskip is making this announcement," said Commissioner David Bernhardt of the Maine Department of Transportation, "it is timely as we prepare to mobilize a new crane into Portland and grow the capacity of the International Marine Terminal." Since moving from Virginia to Maine, weekly service has been a goal for Eimskip and its stakeholders.  "This truly is the culmination of 5 years of work," said Larus Isfeld, Managing Director of Eimskip USA, "we have had this vision from the beginning since our move to Portland and each year has been a step towards this moment." This is the first time, in the 100 years Eimskip has been coming to the United States, that the steamship line has offered weekly service to their U.S. port of call.  For Eimskip's customers throughout the North Atlantic, Scandinavia and Europe, this news represents a significant new opportunity in market access into the United States.   "This is a game changer," said Patrick Arnold, President of Soli DG the contracted terminal management company of the Maine Port Authority, "most companies have weekly provisioning cycles and as such prefer weekly stock cycles.  This service will keep Maine competitive rather than at a disadvantage - as we are without it."