– We don’t know why the freezer is no longer there, says chief of the Innhavet police station, Hans Kristian Grunnvoll. On Thursday morning, a large press corps stood ready on the banks of Sagfjorden in Hamarøy municipality. The police and the company Seløy were to retrieve a freezer from around 250 meters deep. The freezer was found by chance when the company FSV Group surveyed the seabed near a fish farm in April. The special thing about the freezer is that it appears to have been sealed. In addition, it was found in the same area where Stian Hole was reported missing in June last year. Although the police have no evidence to suggest that the freezer has anything to do with the disappearance, it is important for them to retrieve it. – It is important for the people’s sense of justice, but not least for the relatives, that we do a proper job, says Grunnvoll in the police. But on Thursday morning some reefs appeared in the sea. The police did not find the freezer where it was discovered around seven months ago. Chief of the Innhavet police station, Hans Kristian Grunnvoll, has not given up on finding the freezer in Sagfjorden. Photo: Per-Magne Steen / news Concrete coordinates are missing – We never really knew exactly where the freezer was, says Grunnvoll to news. They operate based on coordinates they received from the company that discovered the freezer, FSV Group. – Our vessel did not note a specific position where the freezer was found, but has given the police coordinates for a limited area, writes CEO of FSV Group, Arild Aasmyr in an email. – There was no requirement to take out a position on the freezer for the original assignment for our customer. It was only afterwards when this became a bigger issue that we see that an accurate position would have been useful to have. FSV Group found the freezer with the help of an underwater drone, a so-called ROV. The same type of equipment that Seløy uses on Thursday. – How would you describe the bottom and current conditions in the area? – Light sand cover and relatively little current due to the depth. The freezer was found near Cermaq’s facility in Sagfjorden. Photo: Norway in pictures He receives support from the Meteorological Institute (Met). They have models that can say something about the current on the seabed in the area in question. – There are many uncertainties here, but our models indicate that the current at the bottom here is usually weaker than 10 centimeters per second, says researcher at the Met, Knut-Frode Dagestad. – The current probably won’t be strong enough to move a freezer along the seabed due to friction. Dagestad nevertheless emphasizes that it depends on what the freezer box contains. An empty freezer box contains a lot of air, and will thus be easier to move by ocean currents. The shipping company has been questioned. The police have therefore not tried to locate the freezer previously, but say that they started the search based on other investigations. – We have done some research and talked to several people. In addition, the operation required careful planning with the companies that were relevant for the job. Arild Aasmyr in FSV Group writes to news that they have had a good dialogue with the police. – People in the shipping company have been questioned in connection with the case. We have shared pictures and other relevant information. – Why are you not included in the search? – Unfortunately, we did not have the capacity to undertake the assignment when the request came. Get help from the Coast Guard On Thursday afternoon, they still haven’t found the freezer in Sagfjorden. Hans Kristian Grunnvoll in the police says that they will get help from the Coast Guard during the evening. – They must assist in the search with other equipment. I cannot go into detail about what type of equipment it is. According to Grunnvoll, the police will make up the status of the road ahead tomorrow morning. But he still hopes to locate the box during the evening, so that we can raise it on Friday. – Then we may have to consider what to do next, if we don’t find it during the day today, says Grunnvoll. – Such an operation must cost a lot, right? – It’s not my table. In any case, we do not have an overview of what this costs as of now. Published 21.11.2024, at 16.53
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The freezer in the Stian Hole case. Little to indicate that it has been taken off the grid – news Nordland
