Sanford Limited

Sanford Limited, known as Sanford, is a commercial fishing company headquartered in New Zealand.[1]

Sanford Limited
IndustryFisheries
Founded08 Dec 1924
Headquarters
Auckland
,
New Zealand
Key people
  • Peter Reidie, CEO
  • Paul Alston, CFO
Number of employees
1,400 (2023)

History

The company's origins go back to the 1880s and in 1904 Albert Sanford incorporated Sanford Ltd. The group's resources are committed almost entirely to the inshore and deep-water fisheries of NZ, and allied operations of coolstores, shipbuilding, engineering and aquaculture.

The company has also become involved in joint venture operations with Japanese, Taiwanese and Korean interests, and in overseas operations following acquisitions in Chile (1994 - closed 1997), Namibia (1996) and Australia. Its fishing fleet includes inshore vessels specialising in longline and trawl snapper for Asian customers, deep water freezer vessels, mid-water trawlers, ice vessels, specialised vessels for scampi fishing and purse seining, and deep water longline operations. Initiatives included joint participation in a bid to acquire Brierley Investments' 50% stake in NZ seafood processor Sealord Products, and acquisition of a strategic stake (approximately 14.8%) in Canadian seafood processor FPI.[2]

In December 2002 it announced a change of balance date from 31 August to 30 September to coincide with the end of the fishing quota year. In September 2004 it acquired a 25% stake in Chinese seafood processing company Weihai Dong Won Food Co Ltd and in October 2004 it bought the NZ fishing business and assets (apart from the scampi quota) of Simunovich Fisheries Ltd.

On 1 December 2010 Sanford acquired the Greenshell mussel and Pacific oyster businesses from Pacifica Seafoods for $85 million.

Controversies

Dumping oil waste off American Samoa

In 2013, Sanford was fined $2.3 million for dumping oil waste in waters off American Samoa.[3] The company was sentenced in a US Federal Court in Washington this morning after being convicted in a two-week trial in August last year over an incident involving its tuna fishing vessel, the San Nikunau.

Bottom trawling in restricted area

In 2018, Sanford was ordered to forfeit a $20 million vessel and fined $36,000 for bottom trawling in a restricted area. The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) found the vessel – the San Waitaki – to have illegally bottom trawled in the Puysegur Benthic Protection Area while targeting orange roughy during fishing trips in 2017 and 2018.[4]

Death of employee in freezer system

Sanford pleaded guilty to one charge under the Health and Safety at Work Act of exposing workers to risk of death or serious injury. It was fined $375,000 and ordered to pay $121,860 reparations to family and $35,000 costs by the Timaru District Court [5] Steffan Stewart became caught in machinery in the automated freezer system for processing fish in November 2018, while attempting to clear a blockage. Dangers in the automated freezer system were identified as high risk. However, it was not until Mr Stewart's death two years after the report that Sanford spent $450,000 making critical changes, including introducing an automatic shutdown system and revising its standard operating procedure for clearing blockages.[6]

References
  1. "SAN Sanford Limited – NZX, New Zealand's Exchange". www.nzx.com.
  2. https://www.nzx.com/companies/SAN/analysis
  3. https://www.nbr.co.nz/sanford-fined-2-3m-for-dumping-oil-waste-at-sea/
  4. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/sanford-to-forfeit-20m-vessel-fined-for-bottom-trawling-in-restricted-area/7L4MKYOUZLABDFJDQM6RDNY7WY/
  5. https://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/public/news/2021/september/500-000-fine-and-reparation-after-death-on-sanford-fishing-vessel/.
  6. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/452129/sanford-fined-500k-over-employee-s-death-ceo-apologises
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