Highlights

  • Ocean Sciences is planning a purpose-built seaweed centre in South Sulawesi, Indonesia.
  • The site already holds aquaculture pools and a working laboratory, with a Lease secured into 2031.
  • Three workstreams cover approvals, staged construction and operational commissioning.
  • Research partnerships with Indonesian institutions are part of the commissioning picture.

Ocean Sciences Ltd (ASX:OSS) has announced plans to establish a seaweed Centre at Laikang Village in Takalar Regency, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The company has indicated that the Centre is intended to bring its cultivation, production and research activities together at a single location, while also drawing selected external Research and Development work in-house. The site is leased, with infrastructure already in place that the company intends to build upon. The announcement sets out three workstreams covering regulatory approvals, staged construction and fit-out, and operational commissioning. This article walks through the site, the planned build and the collaboration elements described by the company.

The Laikang Village Site

The planned Centre will be located on a site of approximately 3.4 hectares at Laikang Village in Takalar Regency. The site is leased, and the lease has been extended to April 2031. The company has indicated that it may pursue a further five-year extension or consider purchasing the site, which leaves Options open beyond the current term.

The site already includes existing in-ground aquaculture pools, a working laboratory, and seaweed production and processing facilities, with onshore seaweed cultivation tanks forming part of the planned infrastructure. Bringing these elements together is central to the concept. According to the announcement, the Centre will integrate the company's cultivation, production and research activities at a single site, which may simplify coordination between growing, processing and laboratory work compared with operating them in separate locations.

Approvals, Construction and Fit-Out

The first workstream concerns regulatory approvals. The announcement lists environmental and building approvals, aquaculture and fisheries certifications, and equipment testing as items to be addressed before operations can proceed. Approvals of this kind are a standard part of establishing aquaculture facilities and are typically needed to confirm that a site meets local requirements.

The second workstream covers construction and fit-out, which the company has said will be carried out in stages. The stages include site preparation, installation of cultivation tanks, development of processing facilities and the laboratory, and provision of utilities and equipment. A staged approach allows the company to sequence works and commission completed areas as the build progresses, rather than waiting for every component to be finished at once. The announcement does not provide a completion timetable for these stages.

Commissioning and Research Collaboration

The third workstream is operational commissioning. It includes commissioning of the cultivation tanks, starting cultivation activities and bringing laboratory operations into use. The announcement also refers to collaboration with the Maritime Institute of Technology and Business Balik Diwa Makassar, an Indonesian institution that is part of the research and development picture.

The plan to bring selected external research and development in-house is notable because it suggests the company intends to hold more of its experimental and applied work at the Centre itself. Chairman Francesco Cannavo is named in the announcement. Seaweed cultivation is commonly pursued for uses ranging from food ingredients to industrial inputs, though the announcement itself focuses on the Facility rather than on specific product outcomes or commercial timelines.

Key Insights

Ocean Sciences' announcement sets out a defined plan for a consolidated seaweed Centre in South Sulawesi. The site of about 3.4 hectares is leased to April 2031, with options for a further extension or purchase, and already contains aquaculture pools, processing facilities and a laboratory. The company has described three workstreams: regulatory approvals, staged construction and fit-out, and operational commissioning supported by a research collaboration. The announcement concentrates on infrastructure and process rather than financial outcomes, so readers should treat it as an operational update. Further detail on timing and progress through each stage would help clarify how the plan develops.