Oceanus Group of Singapore has invested in Universal Aquaculture, a newly-established aquaculture company, to breed vannamei shrimp.
Universal Aquaculture has a land-based shrimp farm applying hybrid biological recirculation system (“HBRS”) POD technology.
The investment in the farmer will help Oceanus, which calls itself a “homegrown premium seafood and fast-moving consumer goods value chain manager,” produce next generation of vannamei.
Oceanus said the investment goes in line with its strategy as aquaculture is one of the company’s pillars to boost business growth.
“This investment is a strategic fit with our business to bring breakthrough technology in aquaculture farming,” Oceanus CEO Peter Koh said. “We are delighted to work closely with like-minded partners to bring sustainable quality seafood close to consumers.”
Koh said Universal Aquaculture’s technology team has spent six years developing the HBRS technology and theirs is “the world’s first hybrid biological recirculation system.”
“It is the next generation in aquaculture water treatment which reduces the need for large water treatment tanks and equipment, thereby saving space, energy, and water consumption, whilst creating perfect water conditions for breeding within a shorter period of harvesting time,” Koh said.
The HBRS system uses less energy than some other traditional methods, allows high stocking density and the ability to grow more than one species in the same multi-layered tank, Koh said.
“The current COVID-19 situation underscores the importance of local food production, as part of Singapore’s strategies to ensure food security and self-sufficiency. We are optimistic that this breakthrough in technology for prawn-breeding in a vertical farming environment, where aquaculture could take place within warehouses, will play an important role in sustainable urban food production,” Koh said.
The Universal Aquaculture facility will be placed in a 1,300-square meter warehouse located Singapore’s Tuas South Link. The company will kick off work on the farm to build 33 sets of a unique tank cluster in October, The Straights Times reported 5 September.
Universal Aquaculture hopes to supply its first shrimp produced from the project to the local market by March 2021. Its first warehouse is expected to produce 44 metric tons (MT) of shrimp annually. With more warehouses, the company plans to harvest 400 MT of shrimp by 2022, making Universal Aquaculture one of the leading seafood producers in Singapore, which produced just 628 MTs of seafood but imported 35,000 MTs in 2019.
