Malta-headquartered AquaBioTech Group on Friday announced that it has been awarded a turnkey contract by Barramundi Group to design, supply, install, and commission an aquaculture facility in Brunei.

The contract, awarded by Barramundi Group’s Brunei subsidiary, Barramundi Group Sdn Bhd, will see the development of a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS).

The broodstock, hatchery and live feed facility will be used for barramundi (Lates calcarifer), also known as the Asian sea bass, a species that is fished internationally and raised in aquaculture across Australia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Israel, Thailand, the United States, Poland and the United Kingdom.

AquaBioTech Group is a global consulting and engineering company that has a number of years of experience in aquaculture, fisheries, and other aquatic sciences. While its headquarters are in Malta, it operates globally with clients and projects in over 55 countries.

The new RAS facility / AquaBioTech Group / LinkedIn

The new RAS broodstock and hatchery facility represents the second key milestone in Barramundi Group’s strategic development plan for its operations in Brunei. It complements its earlier investment of an already-operational RAS nursery.

The new facility is scheduled to be completed and commissioned within 18 months, with the Brunei operations becoming fully self-sufficient, with broodstock, live feed, larviculture, fry and fingerling production for its current stocking at sea.

The new facility has peak production capability of over six million juveniles per year. This will make the facility future proofed to cater for additional juvenile requirements for a new land-based RAS grow-out facility.

Commenting on the achievement, AquaBioTech Group CEO Shane A. Hunter said that this contract is “significant” not just for the 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,” he continued.

Barramundi Group CEO James Kwan (left) and AquaBioTech Group CEO Shane A. Hunter (right) signing the agreement / Barramundi Group / LinkedIn

James Kwan, CEO at Barramundi Group, said that having this new RAS broodstock and hatchery facility integrated into its existing and operational RAS nursery is a “game changer.”

“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,” he said.

He affirmed that this facility enhances Brunei’s 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 its deep multidisciplinary bench and track record,” Mr Kwan said, before adding that Barramundi Group is pleased about this collaboration, not just for this facility, but also for its grow-out facility in Mengsalut.