Icelandic seafood company Samherji has just one vessel left still fishing in Namibian waters as it continues to divest its operations in the southern African country. It has also promised that its subsidiaries will fulfill all their employment obligations before the divestment process is finalized.
In November last year, Samherji launched an internal investigation into its Namibian activities following allegations of bribery made by Jóhannes Stefánsson, a former managing director of Samherji's operations in the country. At the same time, WikiLeaks published documents claiming to expose corrupt schemes by the company to gain access to rich fishing grounds in Namibia.
CEO Thorsteinn Már Baldvinsson stepped aside while the internal investigation is being conducted.
At this point, the group has “limited remaining exposure” to Namibia, Samherji said in a statement, with two of the three vessels that had been fishing in the country’s waters over the past year ceasing to operate there. Only the factory trawler Heinaste remains.
“Samherji is very pleased that a case concerning the vessel Heinaste and its captain was resolved in court on Wednesday [5 February, 2020]. This triggers new opportunities, and the Samherji group is dedicated for these opportunities to be realized in Namibia,” Samherji Interim CEO Björgólfur Johannsson said.
According to the statement, Samherji will now work for deployment of Heinaste in Namibian waters, and will be reaching out to relevant authorities in order to explore common ground for the most beneficial solution.
The solution – at least temporarily – will involve chartering Heinaste to local operators.
“The most important [thing] for the Samherji group is to find a balanced solution that benefits local workers, Namibian society and the current minority shareholders in the Heinaste,” the company said.
With regard to the other two vessels, Saga is undergoing maintenance and repair work, while Geysir is currently fishing in Mauritania.
Samherji representatives have also met with affected fishermen and their unions as part of the group’s promise to fulfill all the subsidiary companies’ obligations before the divestment is finalized. It said that it will strive to provide employment for as many as possible, prioritizing those working on Heinaste.
“As before stated, the companies in question will honor their obligations towards all employees. All personnel will be treated in accordance with applicable laws and regulations,” Johannsson said.
Samherji’s statement concluded by revealing that, in past months, some local contracting parties had attempted to take advantage of allegations made against the company, which had seen “misinformation being spread” concerning the nature of its engagements in Namibia.
“Samherji does not intend to argue such civil disputes publicly but will rather protect its contractual rights through the appropriate channels. Samherji is of the firm opinion that relevant obligations in Namibia have been, or are about to be, fulfilled. Any further divestment in Namibia will be done in close dialogue with relevant authorities,” it said.
Photo courtesy of Samherji
