Each year, everyone who is anyone involved in anyway with the Port of Halifax marks Port Days as a must-go event. Organized by the Halifax Port Authority it provides insight into what is happening on the local and global scene with marine transport.

This year the message was clear from a number of fronts, global trading patterns are shifting and the opportunities for the Port of Halifax are substantial. Atlantica is no longer on the periphery of North American prosperity. The International Northeast can be the centre, but the Port of Halifax is pivotal to making that possibility a reality.

AIMS president Brian Lee Crowley was part of an expert panel to discuss Atlantica and the Port of Halifax. He explained that geography as we have known it is shifting. The changes in international trading patterns makes the east coast as accessible as the west coast for goods being shipped from the booming Asian markets. This commentary is based on his remarks.