Hvalur hf. explained
Hvalur hf. is an Icelandic commercial whaling and holding company.[1] Hvalur hf. was founded in 1947 as a commercial whaling company[2] by Loftur Bjarnason and Vilhjálmur Árnason and later run by their sons, Kristján Loftsson and Árni Vilhjálmsson.[1] [3] In the recent decades, it has become one of the most powerful investment companies in Iceland, having owned large shares in Arion Bank, Marel, Origo hf. and Brim hf. amongst others.[4]
In 1948, the company purchased an American naval base at Hvalfjörður (Whale Fjord) and converted it into a whaling station. Norwegian crews were involved in training Icelandic whalers into the early 1950s.[5] [6]
Whaling fleet
The company currently operates two whaling ships, Hvalur 8 and Hvalur 9. It further owns two more, Hvalur 6 and Hvalur 7, that where never fully repaired following the 1986 Hvalur sinkings.[7]
Ships history
- Hvalur 1 Arrived in 1949.[8]
- Hvalur 2 - Sold to Síldarverksmiðjur Ríkisins in 1962 and moved to Seyðisfjörður where its steam engine was used to produce steam for a herring smelt factory.[9]
- Hvalur 3 - Sold to Síldarverksmiðjur Ríkisins in 1962 and moved to Seyðisfjörður where its steam engine was used to produce steam for a herring smelt factory.[9]
- Hvalur 4
- Hvalur 5 - Bought in 1955 and sold to Faroe Island in 1968.[10] On display in the German Maritime Museum in Bremerhaven, Germany.[11] [12]
- Hvalur 6 - Arrived in 1961. Currently in storage as of 2022.
- Hvalur 7 - Arrived in 1961. Currently in storage as of 2022.
- Hvalur 8 - Acquired in 1962. In active use as of 2022.
- Hvalur 9 - Acquired in 1966. In active use as of 2022.
Controversies
On June 20th, 2023, the Icelandic Minister of Fisheries, Svandís Svavarsdóttir, temporarily halted whaling until 31 August 2023 due to alleged violations of the Icelandic Animal Welfare Act by whalers of Hvalur ehf.[13] On 1 September the same year, whaling resumed again with stricter conditions.[14]
Notes and References
- News: Ingi Freyr Vilhjálmsson . Baráttan um hvalveiðar Íslendinga: "Þetta var og er hans hjartans áhugamál" . 25 July 2022 . . 30 January 2016 . Icelandic.
- News: "Hvalur" vill leigja 3 erlend skip til hvalveiða . . 19 February 1948 . 4 . Icelandic.
- News: Ingi Freyr Vilhjálmsson . Dramatískur endir á áratuga samstarfi . 25 July 2022 . . 22 November 2023 . 12–13 . Icelandic . Tímarit.is.
- News: Þórður Snær Júlíusson . Nýtt Ísland og nýjar valdablokkir . 26 July 2022 . . 8 November 2019 . Icelandic.
- Web site: History of Whaling . The Húsavík Whale Museum . May 16, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090621202950/http://www.whalemuseum.is/whaling-iceland/history-of-whaling/ . June 21, 2009 . dead . mdy-all .
- Book: Ellis, Richard . Men and Whales . The Lyons Press . 1999 . 472 . 978-1-55821-696-9.
- News: Kristján Már Unnarsson . Sjötti hvalur vertíðarinnar kominn á land í Hvalfirði . 25 July 2022 . . 27 June 2022 . Icelandic.
- News: Hefur skotið 1409 stórhveli . 30 July 2022 . Sjómannablaðið Víkingur . 1 December 1997 . 45–47, 52–53, 55 . Icelandic.
- News: Tvö hvalveiðiskip til Seyðisfjarðar . 30 July 2022 . . 1 May 1962 . 5 . Icelandic . Tímarit.is.
- News: Norðmenn vilja kaupa hvalbát af Hval hf. . 30 July 2022 . . 19 April 1988 . 25 . Icelandic.
- News: Vinsælustu ljósmyndafyrirsæturnar . 30 July 2022 . . 20 October 2002 . 15 . Icelandic . Tímarit.is.
- Web site: The RAU IX – evidence of past whaling . dsm.museum . . 30 July 2022.
- News: Hermann Nökkvi Gunnarsson . Ekki útilokað að bannið lengist . 5 September 2023 . . 12 July 2023 . Icelandic.
- News: Kolbeinn Tumi Daðason . Hvalveiðivertíðin hefst á morgun með hertum skilyrðum . 5 September 2023 . . 31 August 2023 . Icelandic.
