Barramundi Group’s Brunei subsidiary awarded Malta’s AquaBioTech Group a turnkey contract for the design, supply, installation, and commissioning of a state-of-the-art RAS broodstock, hatchery and live feed facility for barramundi (Lates calcarifer).

The new RAS broodstock and hatchery facility is the second key milestone in the group’s strategic development plan for its operations in Brunei Darussalam. This new facility complements its earlier investment in its already-operational RAS nursery.

Upon completion and commissioning of the new facility in the next 18 months, the Brunei operations will be fully self-sufficient with broodstock, live feed, larviculture, fry and fingerling production for its current stocking at sea.

With the peak production capability of the new facility at over six million juveniles per year, the facility is future-proofed to cater to additional juvenile requirements for a new 3,000 MT land-based RAS grow-out facility. The company is also presently in the intermediate design phase of this facility, for its 17-hectare Mengsalut site, with AquaBioTech Group.

“This contract is significant not just for AquaBioTech Group, but also for Brunei. 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,” said AquaBioTech Group’s CEO, Shane A. Hunter.

“Having this new RAS broodstock and hatchery facility integrated into our existing and operational RAS nursery is a game changer. When commissioned, we will be able to consistently produce the highest-performance juveniles from our own pathogen-resilient and genetically-superior broodstock, unhindered by external constraints. 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. AquaBioTech has proven to be particularly suited to designing a tropical RAS with their deep multidisciplinary bench and track record. We are very pleased to be working with them beyond this RAS but also our 3,000 MT grow-out facility in Mengsalut,” said James Kwan, CEO, Barramundi Group.