Friday, May 29, 2015

Icelandic Ahab Tries It Again

Kristjan Loftsson is at it again!
In a move both highly controversial and provocative, Iceland's sole fin whaler is preparing to ship 1,700 tonnes of fin whale meat to Japan via the port of Luanda in Angola, off the SW coast of Africa.
His whaling company Hvalur loaded the meat - the entire catch from last year's whaling season - onto the Winter Bay around a fortnight ago, but the ship remains in harbour at Hafnarfjordur, south of Reykjavik...allegedly due to mechanical problems.
(This time last year, Loftsson shipped 2,000 tonnes of fin whale meat to Japan aboard the Alma, taking a circuitous route around the Cape of Good Hope to avoid protestors.)
Winter Bay still in harbour...
Icelandic whalers hunt both fin and minke whales under a disputed 'reservation' to the International Whaling Commission's ban on commercial whaling. This year's minke whaling season has already started, with at least 2 whales killed, and the fin whaling season opens in June. Last year, 137 endangered fin whales and 24 minke whales were killed.
Meanwhile the Icelandic media is heavily critical of the bloodsoaked billionaire's recent re-election as Chairman of seafood giant,
HB Grandi. One of the Board's first actions was to award itself a 33.3% pay rise: by comparison, his workers were awarded a paltry 3.3%.
Loftsson's attempts at damage limitation, including tv interviews during which he attempted to crack jokes, did not go down well and were not helped by the revelation that HB Grandi workers had been rewarded for their hard work and extra productivity with...an ice-lolly!

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