Hampidjan has concluded a deal to purchase a 65% holding in US company Swan Net USA LLC, based in Seattle. The three founders plus one other individual have been the owners of Swan Net USA since it was established in 1995. Hampidjan’s US subsidiary, Hampidjan USA, has acquired the holdings of two of these shareholders, in close discussion with the third shareholder and with managing director Seamus Melly. Seamus maintains ownership of his 32.50% and the financial manager Katy Luedtke 2,5% share. Hampidjan’s new managing director, Hjörtur Erlendsson, comments that this consolidates the company’s position on the US market.
‘Hampidjan USA has produced and sold Gloria pelagic trawls and pelagic trawl codends for pelagic vessels fishing off the US west coast, as well as handling other Hampidjan products. We have achieved significant success with these trawls for fishing Alaska pollock and they have worked exceptionally well, particularly on dispersed fish. Our DynIce Warps have also been successful in this region in replacing conventional steel wire rope trawl warps.’
‘Swan Net USA in Seattle in one of the key fishing gear producers in the USA, servicing mainly the pelagic trawl fleet that operates from Seattle and from Dutch Harbor in Alaska, fishing for Alaska pollock as well as for other species. The company has two locations with its headquarters in Seattle and a service outlet in Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands, the chain of islands that forms the dividing line between the Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea. By combining the activities of Swan Net USA and Hampidjan USA under the Swan Net USA name, and by changing Hampidjan USA into a holding company, our position will be strengthened significantly,’ Hjörtur Erlendsson said, commenting that he welcomes the decision by Seamus Melly, managing director and one of Swan Net USA’s founders, to stay at the helm. Vidir Vernhardsson, who has been Hampidjan USA’s managing director for the last six years, will be in a key position at the merged company, maintaining supervision of Gloria trawl production alongside other Swan Net USA staff.
From left; Ingi Thordarsson, sales manager Hampidjan, Vidir Vernhardsson, general manager Hampidjan USA, Seamus Melly, managing director Swan Net, Hjörtur Erlendsson CEO Hampidjan and Katy Luedtke, finanacial manager, Swan Net.
‘It’s a particular source of satisfaction that Seamus Melly is keen to work with us, not least as he has a great deal of respect in this region for producing excellent quality fishing gear and for providing first-class service, which is a vital component of working in this demanding market. Seamus has demonstrated his management qualities and on his watch Swan Net USA has flourished and shown its value as a profitable enterprise over many years,’ Hjörtur Erlendsson said.
Seamus Melly said in a statement, “As in our Mission Statement, this merger encourages innovation and creativity for continuous growth of Swan Net USA. Combining the strengths and Assets of our two companies with over 100 years of combined history in the fishing industry, will provide our customers with a wider variety of high quality products and unparalleled customer service. The combination of Swan Net USA and Hampidjan creates an exciting opportunity for our company and most importantly, for our customers who will benefit from accessing a wider array of products and services with the same level of dedication and commitment we’ve provided to them in the past. All of our team at Swan Net USA are looking forward to this next phase and hope that our customers will be too”.