Karina Explorer

"Most creditors were patient, but patience had its limits. Doug Turnbull and Gourock Division reached their limit on June 26, 1985. They still had not received their last 60,000 dollars, so Doug confronted Kjell Inge and put the knife to his throat. The outcome was another worthless letter, a so-called non-negotiable debt note, where Gourock got a lien on the fish aboard the "Karina Explorer". And so was everyday life at Karina Fisheries. The elastic was stretched further than advisable, creditors called and nagged, and Kari sat in the office calming them down. "This is how this business is," says Tor Tollessen at Lunde Maritime. "Fishermen usually have money just twice a year, and in many ways, we suppliers become a kind of bank with large outstanding amounts.""

"Therefore, there was no no in the supplier's mouth when Kjell Inge Røkke asked them to also join his next boat, "Karina Explorer". That autumn it went at express speed, no sooner was "Karina" destroyed, then Røkke turned around to look for a new boat. His only hope was to find a new business that could get the money rolling the right way. And he had no choice: Without the courage to take a risk, he might as well give up. Then he was done, plain and simple."

"It was a sluggish year in the fishing industry and many crab boats lay idle. However, downturns always offer opportunities for those who think ahead and dare to invest. Røkke and Breskovich took advantage of the situation and bought a couple of cheap small boats. On May 13, 1986, new drama arose. "Karina Explorer" struck an underwater reef and sank within a few minutes. Fortunately, the entire crew was rescued, but the boat was lost. For Kari Røkke, it was just a matter of sitting down at the typewriter and drafting a letter on behalf of Kjell Inge Røkke: "The boat was insured. We expect the first payment within 110 days, around the end of August, and by November we should have received the final payment. The boat, crew, and financial creditors will be paid with the first payment from the insurance. The rest will go to the unsecured creditors," Røkke promised at the end of June 1986. Then he went to Alaska, out of reach of the creditors."