Portland to be added to container shipping route | News

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - Portland's on-again, off-again container cargo shipping service is on again.

An Icelandic shipping company has signed a contract with the Maine Port Authority to set up container freight service in Portland linking the city to eastern Canada and Europe.

Gov. Paul LePage said Tuesday that an Eimskip ship will stop in Portland every 14 days, providing new opportunities for Maine's agricultural, forest and seafood industries.

Eimskip says it's adding Portland as a port call at the end of March, replacing Norfolk, Va. As part of the arrangement, Eimskip is partnering with Pan Am Railways to offer rail access to North American markets.

Portland has been without container cargo service since last spring, when a New York-based company ended service that linked Portland, Boston and Halifax, Nova Scotia.