Fortina clarifies inaccurate reports

The Fortina Group condemns in the strongest possible terms reports in The Shift News and other  media that are incorrect, malicious in their content and seek to serve no other purpose than to tarnish the Company’s reputation.

The facts: 

1. Captain Morgan never made a request to the government to provide any of its vessels to accommodate migrants rescued at sea. It was the government which approached the Company to charter initially one vessel and eventually three as demand for accommodation increased. 
2. It is blatant lie to state that there is no documentation in existence to reflect the agreement between the government and Captain Morgan. The Company would have furnished media outlets with such documents had they observed basic journalistic ethics and sought a comment from the Company. The fact they did not do so only goes to show that the story had malicious intent. 
3. The figures quoted by the reports are incorrect. Captain Morgan invoiced for far less than is being alleged. Again, had the media organisation asked for the figures these would have been provided. 
4. The reports also fail to mention that Captain Morgan was not the only provider of vessels and that, furthermore, it received less than half of the fees paid to another Company. This is a disservice to the public and was no doubt done to paint Captain Morgan in a negative light. What the Company did was respond to a call from the Government for assistance at a time when migrants were being saved from drowning at sea. 
5. The Group would also like to make it clear that is has absolutely no difficulty with Government publishing all the necessary documents, facts and figures in the interest of truth and public interest. Fortina has absolutely nothing to hide. 
6. Fortina reserves the right to take legal action against all those spreading false and malicious misinformation against the Group, its operations and its directors and calls for ethical standards in journalistic reportage.