PORTLAND, Maine (AP) As many as 60 Finnish-built speedboats are being imported to the U.S. through Portland as Maine pushes to encourage trade with Europe and the North Atlantic.

The Portland Press Herald reports shipping links with the Icelandic shipping firm Eimskip has helped East Coast Yacht Sales become the exclusive retailer of Axopar vessels on the East Coast.

The owner of the Yarmouth-based company says they will ship the boats into the U.S. over the next two years, and the company will expand to handle sales.

Maine has spent tens of millions of dollars to update and expand the International Marine Terminal in Portland.

As a result, the volume of containers moving through the port has more than doubled in the past five years.