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THE National Fishing Corporation of Namibia (Fishcor) is engaging a local partner to enter into an agreement for joint landing and marketing arrangements.

This applies to the commercial use of Fishcor’s remaining 11 395-tonne horse mackerel quota for the 2023 fishing season.

The company’s chief executive officer (CEO), Alex Gawanab, confirmed this on Wednesday.

He said Fishcor issued a non-committal letter of intent and a non-disclosure agreement to engage in an agreement with Mabasen Atlantic Fishing, a company solely owned by Windhoek resident Charles Naruseb.

“Further discussion will follow only after a non-disclosure agreement is signed. This is part of normal business engagements. We have not issued an expression of interest to anyone, as we are not selling our quota to anyone,” he said.

Gawanab called on companies wishing to cooperate with Fishcor to openly approach the corporation with value propositions. In the past, the quota was utilised by Icelandic company Samherji.

This is despite Fishcor having had an agreement with Africa Select Fishing (ASF).

The two jointly owned Seaflower Pelagic Processing (SPP), now Princess Brand, in which Fishcor is a 40% shareholder.

Fishcor has been embroiled in a court battle to have the agreement, which was signed on 30 January 2016 between the company’s then CEO Mike Nghipunya and ASF’s Adriaan Louw, nullified.

Last week, Fishcor lost an appeal in the High Court to have former Windhoek-based lawyer Marén de Klerk testify through a video link in a case pending to have the agreement nullified.

Gawanab said the terms of the agreement for the joint landing and marketing arrangements will include the re-employment of over 400 former SPP workers.

Fishcor did not renew unemployment relief grants of the former SPP factory workers, which were halted on 31 December last year.

The agreement will also include the 40 fishermen of the Pemba Bay vessel, who are currently faced with retrenchments due to the pending liquidation of the Seacope joint venture.

The fishermen lost their jobs when the relationship between Fishcor and its Spanish partner, Copemar, went sour.

They were said to have been abandoned last August by the two companies without a word.

Last week, the fishermen handed over a petition to the offices of the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources at Walvis Bay, claiming the company has not engaged with them since last March.

“Yes, the engagement, if it materialises into a concrete agreement, may entail workers,” Gawanab said.