James Kwan, Barramundi Group's CEO, and Shane A. Hunter, AquaBioTech Group's CEO, sign the contract for the new RAS facility in Brunei. This is their second collaboration.
Photo: Barramundi Group.
Barramundi Group announced today that its Brunei subsidiary had awarded AquaBioTech Group a turnkey contract for the design, supply, installation, and commissioning of a state-of-the-art RAS (Recirculating Aquaculture System) broodstock, hatchery and live feed facility for barramundi in Brunei Darussalam.
This new facility complements Barramundi Group's previous investment in its already operational RAS nursery at its 17-hectare site in Mengsalut, which is currently in the mid-design phase, and where it is already working in collaboration with Maltese AquaBioTech.
"AquaBioTech has proven to be particularly suited to designing a tropical RAS with their deep multuidisciplinary bench and track record; and we are very pleased to be working with them beyond this RAS, but also our BG2.0 3,000MT growout facility in Mengsalut," said James Kwan, CEO of Barramundi Group.
RAS (Recirculating Aquaculture System) project facility that AquaBioTech Group has designed and will install and commission for Barramundi Group in Brunei.
As mentioned above, this RAS broodstock and hatchery is the second key milestone in the Barramundi Group's strategic development plan in Brunei Darussalam. With a maximum production capacity of more than 6 million juveniles per year, the new facility is future-proofed to cater for additional juvenile requirements for a new 3,000 MT land-based RAS grow-out facility.
"Having this new RAS broodstock and hatchery facility integrated into our existing and operational RAS nursery is a game changer," Kwan stated. "When commissioned, we will be able to produce consistently, the highest-performance juveniles from our own pathogen-resilient and genetically-superior broodstock, unhindered by external constraints."
Moreover, in the release announcing the award to AquaBioTech, Barramundi Group said that, once the new facility is completed and commissioned in the next 18 months, Brunei's operations will be fully self-sufficient, with broodstock, feed, larviculture, fry and fingerlings for its current offshore restocking.
As highlighted by both parties, the success of this project is important not only for Barramundi Group - which in February secured USD 11.25 million from a Bruneian financial institution to fund its expansion in Brunei Darussalam - but also for the Asian country itself and the future not only of its aquaculture industry but also of its food security.
"For Brunei Darussalam, a second state-of-the-art RAS facility in the country enhances its overall food and biosecurity posture, and adds another cornerstone in its nascent but fast-growing aquaculture sector," said Barramundi Group's CEO, James Kwan.
"This contract is significant not just for AquaBioTech, but also for Brunei," commented AquaBioTech Group's CEO, Shane A. Hunter. "This project will be a significant catalyst for the development of barramundi and other land-based aquaculture initiatives in Brunei, strengthening food security and enabling the country to explore new export markets."