Oceanus said in a market report that investing in the vannamei shrimp producer is in line with its plan to strengthen its aquaculture pillar, which already includes abalone production. According to Oceanus, Universal Aquaculture's indoor farming facility has a hybrid biological recirculation system, which fuses mechanical and biological filtration.
According to Oceanus, the system - which took six years for founder Jeremy Ong to develop - consumes less energy, facilitates a zero-water change and a significant reduction of the feed conversion ratio (FCR).
Oceanus chief executive Peter Koh said Universal's system reduces the need for large water treatment tanks and equipment - saving space, energy and water consumption, while creating the "perfect water conditions" which can reduce the time for the shrimp to reach harvest size.
He added that the coronavirus pandemic has underscored the importance of local food production in Singapore.
"We are optimistic that this breakthrough in technology for prawn [shrimp] 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.
