Westman Islands fishing and processing company Vinnslustöðin (VSV) is acquiring a majority shareholding in Hafnarfjörður-based processing company Hólmasker ehf, subject to approval by Iceland’s monopolies authority.
Currently owned by Albert Erluson and Jóhanna Steinunn Snorradóttir, Hómasker recently took over the activities of processor Stakkholt ehf, including keeping the entire workforce. Production will remain in Hafnarfjörður, and the focus is primarily on processing haddock for the US market.
Once the acquisition has gone through, the intention is for Hólmasker to buy the bulk of its haddock at auction, as well as purchasing raw material from VSV and others at market rates.
Practically all of the haddock landed by the Vinnslustöðin fleet has been sold at auction or shipped fresh in containers to overseas markets. The new arrangement would mean that these haddock landings would in future mostly be shipped from the Westman Islands to Hafnarfjörður for processing there, thereby supporting Iceland’s domestic processing sector.
