Rebekka Glasser Herlofsen, chair of Cermaq's board of directors, said the company had been in touch with several other potential buyers over the last months.
She was talking at a press conference in Oslo, announcing Mitsubishi Corporation's takeover bid of NOK 96 (€11.80/$15.10) per share.
"It's no big secret that the ministry wants to sell its [59.7 percent] stake Cermaq," she said. "A sale was authorized by the previous government and the wish to sell was confirmed by the new government.
"It was only natural for Cermaq to look for alternative buyers and we have been in contact with both industrial and financial players," she said.
