News

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.

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

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 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.

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.