Correspondence
Email sent to the contact address for C.N.C.B.
The email said: "I’m contacting you in light of our latest investigation which concerns the use of forced labor in China’s seafood processing industry, and a link we’ve discovered between a company engaged in such practices and your supply chain – Donggang Haimeng Foodstuff. We have uncovered evidence that Donggang Haimeng has used North Korean labor after the December 2019 deadline for the repatriation of overseas North Korean workers required under United Nations Security Council sanctions. This evidence shows the presence of North Korean labor at Donggang Haimeng’s factory in Liaoning, China, as recently as 2023. According to trade records seen by The Outlaw Ocean Project, Companhia Nacional Comércio Bacalhau S.A. was the consignee for multiple shipments of seafood from Donggang Haimeng since December 2019. While we understand that you may not be aware of the above issues, we want to ask if Companhia Nacional Comércio Bacalhau S.A. has any comment to make in response to this email?
The Outlaw Ocean Project emailed: "As we haven’t heard back from you on this, we wanted to loop around one more time to make sure you saw our query. Our work will be published in Portugal by Público and, if you have a statement or comment to make in response to our query, we will need it before close of business on February 22, 2024."