Polar Seafood, the company that owns the trawler Polar Nanoq, sent out the following statement this morning:
The Icelandic police ha[ve] finished [their] investigations aboard the trawler Polar Nanoq. The ship is scheduled to depart from Iceland shortly.
The crew has been replaced in part, but a few of the crew have chosen to return home instead of returning to the sea. The crew is thankful for the support it received in challenging circumstances in Iceland.
Two crew members are in police custody suspected of involvement in the death of Birna Brjánsdóttir. As far as we know, one of them is also suspected of trying to smuggle large quantities of hashish.
The Icelandic Police’s investigation into the death of Birna Brjánsdóttir and the narcotics find aboard the trawler continues and will hopefully be resolved as quickly as possible. Polar Seafood will continue to offer the Icelandic authorities all possible assistance in relation to the police’s investigations. At the same time all enquiries regarding the investigations are directed to the police.
The events of the past days have been difficult for Polar Nanoq’s crew and others at Polar Seafood. However, the company cannot be held responsible for the actions of individuals in its employment. Everyone at Polar Seafood is in shock because of the events and revelations of the last few days and [we] offer [our] sincere condolences to the family and friends of Birna Brjánsdóttir.
We at Polar Seafood are grateful for all the assistance we have received in Iceland in these difficult times. We would like to express our gratitude to Icelandic authorities, the foreign office and police, the Danish embassy, as well as to all the volunteers from the Icelandic Search and Rescue.
Jørgen Fossheim,
Fleet Manager at Polar Seafood
