News

Samherji's Namibia investigation finalized

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

Old news about operations in Namibia

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 Namibia

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

New Vilhelm vessel successfully launched

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.

Generational transition in the ownership of Samherji

The largest shareholders of Samherji, Ms Helga Steinunn Guðmundsdóttir, Mr Thorsteinn Már Baldvinsson, Mr Kristján Vilhelmsson and Ms Kolbrún Ingólfsdóttir, have transferred their shares in Samherji to their children. Their combined ownership consisted of 86.5% of the shares in Samherji, but they will control a 2.0% stake in the company after the changes.
After the transfer of shares, the largest shareholders in Samherji will be

New quality manager for fish processing

Ms. Sunneva Ósk Gudmundsdóttir has been appointed quality manager for land-based fish processing at Samherji. She replaces Mr. Elvar Thorarensen, who is retiring for health reasons.
Ms. Gudmundsdóttir has a degree in fisheries science from the University of Akureyri and has worked on quality control at Samherji for the past three years. She lives in Akureyri with Mr. Omar Thorri Gunnlaugsson, and they have two children.
Quality manager for 25 years
Mr. Thorarensen has worked at Samherji throughout his career. He began in human resources but was then appointed quality manager and held that position for 25 years.

Margret EA caught 2,000 tonnes of blue whiting after waiting for eight days out at sea

Margret EA 710, Samherji's pelagic vessel, sailed into Norðfjörður in Iceland on Monday with 2,000 tonnes of blue whiting caught south of the Faroe Islands. It was a very unusual trip because the crew of Margret EA had to wait eight days out at sea before fishing began.

Increased capacity in Samherji's land-based fish farming site in Grindavík

Construction is currently underway at Samherji's land-based fish farming site in Grindavík. Three new sea holes have been drilled in the lava at the site.
This is a considerable investment to increase the capacity of the farm. The purpose is to ensure the water economy following last year's expansion and prepare for the next phase of expansion. At the site at Grindavík, Samherji operates both a nursery and an on-growing site for Arctic charr.

Harengus sails through the Strait of Magellan

Harengus, a cargo ship owned by Samherji, is currently loading in San Vicente in Chile 4,000 tonnes of pelagic fish which will be sold in Nigeria. The vessel, which is now in charter with the company Green Sea in Belgium, sailed through the Strait of Magellan on the way west for South America and the trip was documented on video.
It seemed appropriate to document the trip as this year marks the 500th anniversary of the discoveries of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. It was in October 1520 that Magellan discovered the Atlantic-Pacific passage, later named the Strait of Magellan. With this trip, Magellan led the first voyage around the globe but was unable to complete it because he passed away before it ended.

Samherji Holding granted an exemption from mandatory bid obligation in Eimskip

The Financial Supervisory Authority of the Central Bank of Iceland today granted Samherji Holding, a company affiliated with Samherji, an exemption from mandatory bid obligation in Eimskipafélag Íslands hf. (Eimskip). Given the current situation across financial markets, both in Iceland and the world, the conditions for exemption in the Icelandic Act on Securities Transactions are fulfilled.