Bakkafrost Haemorrhages $almoney - salvage of 'toxic' & 'explosive' feed barge costs "a cool million odd" with £81K per day in crane hire fees!

Why hasn't Bakkafrost reported the costs of the salvage of a 'toxic' & 'explosive' @GaelForceGroup barge to shareholders @Folketrygdfond & the stock exchange? @osloboers https://t.co/1Yy9yu5Wy1
An insider claims @BonnMees lifting crane costs £81K per day with costs now over £1m! pic.twitter.com/ykJ39LAMIA

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 25, 2022

$camon $cotland today reiterated questions to Bakkafrost (The Scottish Salmon Company):

From: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Dec 25, 2022 at 8:38 AM
Subject: £1 million + salvage costs – £81K per day crane hire for GaelForce feed barge salvage operation?
To: <toda@bakkafrost.com>, <sasi@bakkafrost.com>, <ruw@havsbrun.fo>, <reja@bakkafrost.com>, <info.scotland@bakkafrost.com>
Cc: <dougie.macleod@scottishsalmon.com>, Briggs Marine <enquiries@briggsmarine.com>, <h.smith@marinemasters.nl>, <d.spaans@marinemasters.nl>, <operations@marinemasters.nl>, <info@bonn-mees.com>, <aliyah.zaidi@aon.com>, <colin.mayes@aon.com>, <mediainquiries@aon.com>, <sales@gaelforcegroup.com>, <folketrygdfondet@ftf.no>, <Nils.Bastiansen@ftf.no>, Marika Burvald <marika.burvald@ftf.no>, <Kjetil.Houg@ftf.no>, <stockwatch@oslobors.no>, <clsegurlund@euronext.com>, <rennie@gaskfarm.co.uk>, John Finlayson (Councillor) <john.finlayson.cllr@highland.gov.uk>, Forbes K (Kate), MSP <Kate.Forbes.msp@parliament.scot>, Ian Blackford <ian.blackford.mp@parliament.uk>, Sarah Walker <Sarah.Walker@mcga.gov.uk>, HM Coastguard <HMCoastguard@mcga.gov.uk>, Stan Woznicki <Stan.Woznicki@mcga.gov.uk>, Media <publicrelations@sepa.org.uk>, Alex Turner <Alex.Turner@nature.scot>, Drew Millar (Councillor) <Drew.Millar.cllr@highland.gov.uk>, Calum Munro (Councillor) <calum.munro.cllr@highland.gov.uk>, Ruraidh Stewart (Councillor) <Ruraidh.Stewart.cllr@highland.gov.uk>, <Chris.Birt.cllr@highland.gov.uk>, <isabelle.campbell.cllr@highland.gov.uk>, <Liz.Kraft.cllr@highland.gov.uk>, <Patrick.Logue.cllr@highland.gov.uk>

$camon $cotland repeats our question to Bakkafrost from 14 November 2022 re. the ongoing salvage of a 'toxic' and 'explosive' GaelForce feed barge off the West coast of Scotland; namely:

When will Bakkafrost be reporting the financial costs of the salvage operation to the Oslo stock exchange (I understand there are disclosure rules under the Norwegian Securities Trading Act) and Bakkafrost shareholders (the largest being the Norwegian Government as represented by Folketrygdfondet)?

$camon $cotland received the following information yesterday (24 December 2022) from someone with knowledge of the ongoing salvage operation (which seems to now have stalled with the Viking Saga in Fraserburgh; the Matador 3/Bonn-Mees lifting crane in Dublin and the GaelForce feed barge dumped in Loch Reraig):

Salvage Briggs fitting the bill for a cool million odd 24 December 2022

If the Matador 3 (Bonn-Mees) lifting crane hire costs were £81,000 per day then three weeks' hire costs in excess of £1.5 million.

Are Bakkafrost shareholders footing the bill? Is Briggs Marine liable for the ongoing salvage costs?

Maybe GaelForce – the manufacturers of the SeaMate 450 barge – are liable in some way?

Or will Highland Council, Highlands & Islands Enterprise or the Scottish Government bail out Bakkafrost?

Or will Bakkafrost's insurance company AON be picking up the bill for what can only be described as a colossal cock-up, cover-up and clusterf**k?:

Press & Journal: "Toxic sunken fish farm relocated to Wester Ross sparking fury amongst local residents"

The Scotsman: "Wrecked barge holding ‘toxic’ and potentially ‘explosive' gases is beached for decontamination operation in scenic Scottish Highland bay"

Photos: Toxic Feed Barge Dumped Illegally in Loch Reraig (near Loch Carron MPA)?

Police Scotland FOI disclosure on toxic feed barge off Portree – now beached in Kishorn?

Public Health Scotland FOI: "an explosive risk…..supportive of the path closure" (but still no warning to the public)

FOI disclosure by Maritime & Coastguard Agency (8 December 2022) – more documents on the 'toxic' & 'explosive' feed barge sunk off Portree!

Update: Toxic Feed Barge Salvaged Off Portree Heading to Loch Carron & then Ardyne!

WHFP: "Questions over fish-feed barge safety measures"

Photos of Portree Salvage Operation (next stop is Kishorn)

FOI Floodgates Open on "Explosive" Feed Barge Incident – document dump from Northern Lighthouse Board shines spotlight on salvage operation

Gael Force's Sinking Feeling: barges scuppered by bad weather or is the 'greed of feed' to blame?

Letter to Scottish Ministers re. "Explosive" Scottish Salmon – Please Defuse the Toxic Time-Bomb!

The Times: "Secret plans to evacuate island homes over toxic gas"

Risk Assessment Highlighted 'High' Risk of Exposure to Public from Toxic Hydrogen Sulphide Gases – Why the f*ck was there no public warning?

Bakkafrost is Dead in Water in Scotland – "Explosive" FOI Disclosure Lifts Lid on Hazardous Scottish Salmon!

"Explosive" FOI disclosure from SEPA on Toxic Gases Spewing from The Scottish Salmon Company (Bakkafrost) Off Portree!

Briggs Marine told $camon $cotland on 15 December 2022:

Erica Skoukine (Briggs Marine)

15 Dec 2022, 11:15 GMT

Hi Don,

As you are aware, as we are currently in dispute with Bakkafrost, I can only provide you with the following statement for the time being:

Briggs Marine was awarded a contract by Bakkafrost Scotland to salvage the sunken feed barge and its cargo. Following the discovery of significant levels of hydrogen sulphide within the wreck, all appropriate precautionary and safety measures have been taken in close consultation with the relevant local authorities and stakeholders. Following a payment dispute with Bakkafrost, Briggs have demobilised from the site and legal proceedings have commenced.

Regards
Erica

A Freedom of Information disclosure by the Scottish Government also detailed emails between Bakkafrost (The Scottish Salmon Company) and their insurance company AON in Glasgow:

When a feed barge sank off Uig on the Isle of Skye in 2017, Grieg Seafood said provision for costs of raising the barge, after an assumed insurance settlement, was NOK 10 million (£921,000):

https://www.fishfarmingexpert.com/feed-barge-grieg-seafood-shetland-ocean-kinetics/sunken-feed-barge-brought-back-from-the-deep/1378938

The costs were detailed in a quarterly report to shareholders: https://www.fishfarmingexpert.com/grieg-grieg-shetland-salmon/feed-barge-sinking-scuppers-grieg-shetlands-q1-profits/1256638

In Bakkafrost's case, the waste disposal of ca. 690 tons of "contaminated water and feed" from Bakkafrost's sunken barge can only add to the salvage costs (the Grieg feed barge which sank apparently contained no feed or the feed was pumped out immediately). How much is the waste disposal costing Bakkafrost?

From the various FOI documents disclosed thus far, it is known that the original salvage plan proposed by Briggs Marine in May 2022 was for the ca. 690 tons of contaminated water and feed to be offloaded at Fairlie quay onto 30 ton tankers (23-25 loads) for transport to Maltings Organic Treatment facility in North Yorkshire. However, Maltings told $camon $cotland that they had never heard of Briggs Marine or the planned waste disposal route to North Yorkshire:

From: Steven Carrie <StevenC@maltingsorganic.com>
Date: Tue, Dec 13, 2022 at 4:08 PM
Subject: Re: Salmon feed waste from Bakkafrost/Scottish Salmon Company?
To: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>, Steven Carrie <StevenC@maltingsorganic.com>

We have never heard of this, sorry

From: Steven Carrie <StevenC@maltingsorganic.com>
Date: Tue, Dec 13, 2022 at 8:05 PM
Subject: Re: Salmon feed waste from Bakkafrost/Scottish Salmon Company?
To: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>

We have no idea but are looking into this. We do not know who Briggs marine are.

We do not work with any salmon farmers other than recycling plastic waste and this is from volunteer groups who send us old nets

Police Scotland's FOI disclosure on 19 December 2022 detailed an Anaerobic Digestion facility in Fraserburgh as the waste disposal route with the Viking Saga wellboat acting as courier for the contaminated cargo:

Earlier this week (20 December 2022), $camon $cotland wrote to BioGask – who operate an Anaerobic Digestion facility near Fraserburgh – asking if they had taken the ca. 690 tons of "contaminated water and feed" but we have had no reply.

Here's an update on Facebook (23 December 2022):

In view of the escalating costs of the salvage operation (and with the GaelForce feed barge still dumped in Loch Reraig on the edge of the Loch Carron MPA), why hasn't Bakkafrost notified the Oslo Bors/Euronext Stock Exchange?

In the spirit of transparency, I have copied in various contacts.

I have posted this as a blog via: Bakkafrost Haemorrhages $almoney – salvage of 'toxic' & 'explosive' feed barge costs "a cool million odd" with £81K in crane hire fees alone!

And Tweeted via: https://twitter.com/TheGAAIA/status/1606930052356218880

A public statement would be much appreciated.

Thanks – best fishes for 2023 and have a Merry Fishmas!

Don Staniford

Director, $camon $cotland

The Scotsman reported (23 December 2022):

Local people are calling for answers after a damaged barge containing toxic & potentially explosive gases was beached in a scenic protected bay in the north-west Highlands @TheScotsman https://t.co/caYfb5qW5V @BonnMees @ScotlandSalmon @GaelForceGroup @MCA_media @scotgov @scotgp

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 22, 2022

Here's an update on Facebook (23 December 2022):

pic.twitter.com/xM81bJOBVX

— Lou-Lou Troup (@rendabelle) December 20, 2022