The U.S. ambassador to Iceland and Iceland’s ambassador to the United States will meet with Gov. Paul LePage and visit Portland next week to promote collaboration between Maine and Iceland.

The two ambassadors will speak Tuesday at an event in Portland highlighting plans to establish a business incubator on the city’s waterfront. The proposed New England Ocean Cluster would focus on bringing companies together to create products related to the sea. The 18 prospective tenants include Ocean Solutions, an Icelandic company that uses new technology to process waste from fish processing plants.

The owners of the New England Ocean Cluster, Thor Sigfusson of Iceland and Patrick Arnold of South Portland, propose leasing space on the second floor of the transit shed on the city-owned Maine State Pier. They have begun discussions with the city council.

A conceptual design for the project will be unveiled at 9 a.m. at the U.S. Custom House, at 312 Fore St. Ambassador to Iceland Robert Barber and Ambassador to the U.S. Geir Haarde will speak at 10 a.m.

In addition, the two ambassadors will tour the International Marine Terminal in Portland, the Brunswick Landing campus in Brunswick, and the Peary MacMillan Arctic Museum & Arctic Studies Center at Bowdoin College. They will meet with LePage in Augusta.

They will also meet with officials with the Maine National Guard to discuss a possible partnership between the Maine National Guard and Iceland’s Coast Guard.


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