News

Norðurál, a subsidiary of Century Aluminum, and Samherji Fish Farming, the aquaculture operation of the Samherji group, have signed a letter of intent in connection with the purchase of Norðurál's assets in Helguvík in the Reykjanes Peninsula. Samherji Fish Farming is currently exploring the possibility of salmon farming on the site.

After Norwegian law firm Wikborg Rein finalized its investigation, into the activities of companies affiliated with Samherji in Namibia on July 28th and presented its findings to Samherji's board, the company has in various ways corrected and refuted allegations that have been made against it.

Production began this morning in Samherji's new high-tech production plant in Dalvík. The plant is one of the most advanced production plants in the world for groundfish and is the only one of its kind due to its technology and equipment.

Samherji today published a mini-documentary about the beginning of the so-called Central Bank case. The documentary, which Samherji produced, contains new and previously unpublished information about the case.

Companies affiliated with Samherji paid the equivalent of ISK 6.5 billion in total to the Namibian treasury while they were in operation. Firstly, these are total tax payments and secondly, special levies for the utilization of catch quotas. In addition, companies affiliated with Samherji paid a total of ISK 12 billion for the quotas, and a significant part of that amount was paid state-owned companies and institutions.

Last week, Samherji announced that the investigation into the company's operations in Namibia, conducted by Norwegian law firm Wikborg Rein, had been completed. The announcement outlined the next steps in the process. It was stated that Samherji would soon explain further the individual allegations that have been made against the company and its employees.

The Samherji board of directors have received Wikborg Rein's investigation report in relation to the allegations against the company's operations in Namibia.

In November 2019 allegations were directed at Samherji and the company's operations in Namibia. The board mandated Norwegian and international law firm Wikborg Rein to assist Samherji in its investigation into the relevant facts. Wikborg Rein is ranked among the leading Nordic law firms within this particular area of law. The firm's lawyers have over decades done vast amounts of similar work for Nordic authorities and international companies

Finance Uncovered published a story yesterday about the operations of companies affiliated with Samherji in Namibia. To a large extent, the story consists of recycled, previously published material.

No jobs were lost in the Namibian fisheries sector after Samherji-affiliated companies began operations there in 2012. Claims reported in the media yesterday, that thousands of jobs were lost, have no grounds in reality. These are the same wrongful statements Samherji corrected last year.

Samherji-affiliated companies only participated in pelagic fishing in the Namibian economic zone, and this was mainly horse mackerel. In 2011, allocation rules were changed for pelagic species in Namibia. A quarter of the pelagic fisheries quotas were

A new vessel ordered by Samherji, Vilhelm Thorsteinsson EA, was successfully launched at the Karstensens shipyard in Gdynia, Poland, on June 12th. The ship was ready for launch eight weeks ago, but because of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was not possible until now.
The vessel will replace the current Vilhelm Thorsteinsson EA 11, which arrived new in Iceland two decades ago. The new vessel's carrying capacity will be about 3,000 tonnes of chilled products.