Founded in 1914 with fifteen thousand shareholders, Eimskipafelag Islands, also known as Eimskip, began as a small Icelandic shipping line that focused primarily on domestic routes. Over time, Eimskip expanded its services to include international routes as well as acquired numerous forwarding companies to expand its portfolio. By 1990, Eimskip opened offices in the US, the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, the Faroe Islands, and Newfoundland with its headquarters located in Reykjavik, Iceland. Since its founding, Eimskip has grown significantly in the shipping industry to connect global markets and has diversified its operations to include freight forwarding, logistics, and container shipping services (1). In 2012, Eimskip listed its shares on the Nasdaq Iceland stock exchange following a restructuring of the company to focus on its core operations in 2009 (2). As the oldest shipping company in Iceland, Eimskip has developed a strong market presence within the North Atlantic and has played a significant role in the development of Iceland’s trade networks. 

Today, Eimskip operates a comprehensive network, providing logistics solutions across the world. With fifty-six offices across twenty countries and four continents, Eimskip is committed to prioritizing innovation and environmental responsibility in its operations. Most recently, Eimskip was awarded the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) certification in October of 2024, an acknowledgement recognizing the company’s reliability as an international business partner. Eimskip is the first shipping company in Iceland to receive the AEO certification (3).

Looking to the future, Eimskip introduced a new strategy in 2023 that committed the company to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving net zero emissions by 2040 (4). Led by CEO Vilhelm Már Þorsteinsson, Eimskip plans to continue to develop their international freight forwarding services and to renew their existing fleet to reduce their carbon footprint. Additionally, Eimskip opened an office in Greenland and plans to increase trade to and from Greenland with the vessels sharing agreement they made with Royal Arctic Line, a Greenlandic carrier (5).