Aquaculture Centre of Excellence Pte Ltd

Eko-Ark: World’s first purpose built closed-containment floating fish farm

Aquaculture Centre of Excellence Pte Ltd (ACE®️)

aims to reshape the future of fish farming with ecofriendly, cost-effective and sustainable technology. ACE is the first farm to receive Singapore Food Agency’s permit for an onboard processing unit, reducing food production miles and enables the shortest unbroken cold-chain management for its final products. With the shortest production mile, fresh and healthy fish are readily available to consumers daily.

ACE founder and CEO Leow Ban Tat, wants to change the way the world farms fish. “To be able to feed the world, we need technology that can revolutionise the way we farm. With the Eco-Ark®, we produce sustainable and healthy fish in abundance and yet do not pollute the environment,” says Leow.

ACE Abundance (I) Eco-Ark® is just a kilometre off the coast of Changi Village. The Eco-Ark, patented in 9 countries, including Indonesia, China, Australia and the USA, can produce 20 times more than a traditional farm with the same footprint. In March 2022, two more units of Eco-Ark model EA-600, Abundance (II) and Abundance (III) have been installed together with the new Eco-Spark®, just off the shoreline of Pasir Ris. The Eco-Spark is a hatchery and processing plant and is the latest hybridised intensive “offshore floating integrated agro-culture” farm (OFIA).

Eco-Ark model EA-600 can produce 20 times more than a traditional farm with the same footprint. This “egg to table” concept has shortened the food mile as it integrates the eco-farming establishment, with the hatchery, pre-nursery and post-nursery all on the Eco-Spark with fish growing out in the EcoArk. ACE is able to breed, rear and harvest Asian seabass, four finger threadfin, red snapper, grouper and golden pompano. Full control of the process allows ACE to guarantee no antibiotics or hormones in the fish.

Sustainability is key to this technology. The EcoArk creates an optimal environment for healthy fish to be farmed, harvested and processed onboard. Water is pumped in with minimal energy, filtered and sterilised for optimal fish growth. In times of adverse external seawater conditions, the technology allows the use of ballast-tank water for recirculation without taking in the polluted water. The discharge water from culture tanks is siphoned off by gravity from the bottom and undergoes a second filtration and sterilisation, removing solid waste and treating the water before discharging it back to the sea. This ensures the discharge water from culture tanks is almost as clean as when it is pumped into the farm.

In terms of infrastructure, there is a built-in photovoltaic (BiPV) solar roof for the whole farm to harness solar energy. There are oxygen and ozone generators onboard too. It uses proven offshore and marine technology, for stability and the efficient running of equipment, harvests rainwater to the maximum capacity to ensure freshwater is available for ballasting and farming operations.

The Eco-Ark revolutionises marine fish farming - there is a higher production yield by maintaining a higher stock density and uses less sea space. Utilising aquaculture technology for aquatic health and pathogen free seawater to increase the survival rate of fish without needing vaccines, antibiotics and other chemicals to enhance growth, the Eco-Ark is necessary for a sustainable and healthy future.

Singapore Pavilion, Booth # 319. www. ace-sg.com