An Australian owned and managed company
Live Kuruma prawns, farmed on Batam for Tokyo
Capricornia Prawns is building a fully enclosed, biosecure recirculating aquaculture farm on Batam, Indonesia. Prawns will be packed at dawn and arrive in Tokyo the same night.
About us
Australian owned and managed
Japanese buyers trust the quality of Australian food. Capricornia Prawns is wholly Australian owned, and its owners run the farm themselves.
Managed on site by its Australian owners
The owner directors work on Batam and run the farm day to day.
Australian science
CSIRO feed and genetics, with broodstock from Bribie Island, Queensland.
An Australian record in Tokyo
Queensland producers built the live Kuruma prawn trade to Japan.
The farm
A fully enclosed, biosecure farm
Each factory is an enclosed building of raceways, stocked weekly so that prawns are harvested every week of the year. Water temperature is kept at controlled levels to ensure optimum growth of prawns, and the farm has its own hatchery, strict clean and dirty zones and round the clock staffing.
Our production is consistent all year round and is not limited by the season.
Our partners
Backed by CSIRO science
Live export of Kuruma prawns to Tokyo was proven in the Queensland DAF trials at Rocky Point. Dr Brian Patterson, joint lead of those trials, is on the CSIRO advisory team for the farm.
Specific feed
A high quality feed developed for Kuruma prawns.
Broodstock and genetics
Supplied from CSIRO, Bribie Island.
Initial larvae
To start production while the hatchery is established.
Technical advice
On building and operating the farm.
Location
Why Batam
20 km from Singapore
A short sea crossing to Changi for a same day flight to Tokyo.
No prawn farms nearby
No risk of disease from neighbouring farms.
Singapore on the day of harvest
Prawns for Singapore are delivered by sea the day they are harvested.
From farm to market
Packed at dawn, in Tokyo the same night
A refrigerated truck, a ferry to Singapore and a direct flight to Haneda put the prawns in Tokyo in time for the early morning market.
- Packing complete
- Truck to Nongsa ferry
- Indonesian export clearance
- Sea crossing to Tanah Merah
- Singapore clearance, truck to Changi
- Cargo lodged at SATS Coolport
- SQ634 departs Changi
- Lands at Haneda (Tokyo time)
Latest Batam times with a one hour weather buffer. Batam is one hour behind Singapore and two hours behind Tokyo.
Supply
A reliable, biosecure supply of premium live prawns
The premium grade
Harvested at the premium grade valued by Tokyo buyers, every week of the year.
Direct to wholesalers
We will supply small and medium wholesalers in Tokyo directly, through our Japanese manager.
Packed for live arrival
Packed at dawn on Batam and landed at Haneda the same night.
Talk to us early
We welcome discussions with wholesalers ahead of our first trial shipments.
Our team
An experienced Australian team
Michael O'Brien
Founder & Executive Chairman
- Background in investment banking and education
- MBA and Diploma in Aquaculture
- Built and sold a leather goods factory in the Pacific and India employing more than 100 local staff
Steven Kons
CEO
- Founder of SASK International, seafood import and export
- Supply chains across Australia, Asia, the USA, Europe and Japan
- Trades in the Melbourne Fish Market. Bachelor of Applied Science
Patrick Castle-Cini
Engineer
- Qualified mechanical engineer
- Background in food processing and packaging engineering
- Designed much of the company's IP for the raceways and feeder systems
Supply enquiries
Buying live Kuruma prawns?
Wholesalers in Japan and Singapore are welcome to contact us about supply, grades and our first trial shipments.
Contact
Get in touch
Michael O'Brien
Founder & Executive Chairman, Capricornia Prawns