Hvalur hf.

was founded in 1947 as a commercial whaling company[2] by Loftur Bjarnason and Vilhjálmur Árnason and later run by their sons, Kristján Loftsson and Árni Vilhjálmsson.

[1][3] In the recent decades, it has become one of the most powerful investment companies in Iceland, having owned large shares in Arion Bank, Marel, Origo hf.

Norwegian crews were involved in training Icelandic whalers into the early 1950s.

[7] On June 20th, 2023, the Icelandic Minister of Fisheries, Svandís Svavarsdóttir, temporarily halted whaling until 31 August 2023 due to alleged violations of the Icelandic Animal Welfare Act by whalers of Hvalur ehf.

[13] On 1 September the same year, whaling resumed again with stricter conditions.

The Hvalur hf. whaling station in Hvalfjörður ('Whale Fjord'). Beside it lie the mothballed Hvalur 6 and 7.
Hvalur 9 with its catch.