Eimskip boosts Portland-Halifax shipping calls
Eimskip, the Icelandic shipping company that moved its U.S. port of call for its vessels to Portland from Norfolk, Va., is increasing the number of calls it makes to Halifax, Nova Scotia, from 13 to 31 calls per year.
In a joint press release with the Port of Halifax, Eimskip noted the expanded service began on Feb. 19 with the addition of the vessel MV Selfoss to its “Green Line” route, which includes service by two other Eimskip vessels, MV Reykjfoss and MV Skogafoss. Originating in Reykjavik, Iceland, the vessel will travel to Argentia, Newfoundland and Labrador before stopping in Halifax as its final port before heading to Portland.
“As a result of this service enhancement, the number of Eimskip calls in Halifax will increase from 13 to 31 calls per year, giving our customers additional options for cargo destined and originating in Europe,” said Jeff Simms, managing director of Eimskip Canada Inc. “This is good news for our intra-North American customers as well and will provide one more channel for Nova Scotia exporters to move goods into the New England states, acting as a feeder service for the 14 other carriers calling Halifax.”
To support the expanded service, Eimskip is planning to open a local office in Halifax. The service also will have direct connection with European destinations — including Iceland, the United Kingdom and The Netherlands.
Ashley Dunning, CEO of Halterm Limited, which operates Canada’s largest Atlantic coast container terminal on a 70-acre site in the Port of Halifax, said in the joint release that the company will be working with Eimskip to develop “new trade that will significantly extend choice for those shipping lines and shippers requiring networked solutions for New England cargo.”
“Establishing new services in any market requires commitment and vision and Halterm is particularly pleased to support its long-term customer, Eimskip, in the development of this new Halifax-Portland connection,” Dunning said regarding Halterm’s four-year agreement with Eimskip.
The inbound rotation for this service will originate in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and include Immingham, UK; Reykjavik, Iceland; Argentia, Newfoundland and Labrador; Halifax, Nova Scotia and Portland. The outbound call will start in Portland and will include Argentia and St. Anthony, Newfoundland and Labrador, Reykjavik, Immingham and Rotterdam. The service will provide importers and exporters with easy access to ports in Hamburg, Germany; Aarhus, Denmark; Halmstad, Sweden; Fredrikstad, Norway; Sortland, Norway; Tórshavn, Faroe Islands; and Scrabster, Scotland.
In an interview with Mainebiz last November, John Henshaw, executive director of the Maine Port Authority, which oversees Maine’s cargo ports, cited the westward expansion of Portland’s International Marine Terminal as an investment that will enhance opportunities both for Eimskip and other shipping companies as well as for Maine businesses seeking to expand their market reach beyond the United States.
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