Assentoft Aqua, a Danish provider of industrial recirculation systems to the aquaculture sector, has opened a subsidiary business in Singapore with the hopes of expanding its business in Asia.
Assentoft Aqua Asia Pte. Ltd. was formed as part of the provider of recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) technology’s global expansion plan, the company said in a press release.
“The decision to choose Singapore as the location for the launch of our Asia base was a natural choice,” Assentoft Aqua Asia Chairman Peter Damgaard Nielsen said. “Entering any of the markets in Asia for the first time will be extraordinarily exciting for any business. The challenges will be immense but so will be the rewards. We believe that Asia will be the next epicenter for aquaculture growth and Singapore is strategically located in the heart of Asia and is the ideal springboard for entry into the Asia market, including mainland China.”
Matthew Tan, previously the CEO and director of land-based aquaculture firm Oceanus Tech Pte. Ltd., a subsidiary of Oceanus Group, has been named CEO Asia and director of Assentoft Aqua Asia Pte. Ltd. Most recently, Tan has served as a representative of Singapore with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Policy Partnership on Food Security, and as an adjunct senior research fellow and associate professor at James Cook University’s Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture.
“He brings a valuable wealth of experience to Assentoft and will be supporting our pipelines of RAS projects (both salmon and tropical pelagic) in Asia, plus, [will be] responsible for the set-up of Assentoft Research and Development center in Singapore,” Damgaard Nielson said.
Assentoft, Denmark-based Assentoft Aqua has built and equipped more than 200 commercial recirculation plants for the aquaculture industry in Europe, North America, Asia, and Oceania, with production capacities of up to 2,000 metric tons (MT) per year. It recently introduced a new integrated RAS module designed for large-scale production of bigger fish, as well as an salmon RAS module, and a tropical and temperate pelagic RAS module.
“With the launch of Assentoft Aqua Asia in Singapore, we believe this [will] herald the start of many more land-based RAS farms in Asia,” Damgaard Nielson said.
The company sees opportunities in Asia post-coronavirus, he said.
“The recent COVID-19 pandemic has grossly exposed the gaps and weaknesses of our global supply chain, which has exacerbated the threat against our food security infrastructure,” he said. “Coupled with dwindling numbers of wild-capture fisheries globally, which is now a known fact, it is a matter of time before our ocean resources are depleted. The future of food fish production has been shifting and will ultimately move towards land-based aquaculture. Asia is the world’s largest aquaculture producer and the launch of Assentoft Aqua Asia could not have taken place at a better time than this.”
Photo courtesy of Assentoft Aqua
