“Al Ameen”, a subsidiary of Oman Fisheries Company SAOG, was registered and established in September of 2011.
Al Ameen Stores is fundamentally a Logistics company. Its business activities focus on warehousing (cold stores), transport (refrigerated) and trading of food products. Phase-One of “Al Ameen” warehousing facilities was established over an area of 7,500 m² for a capacity of 5,600 metric tons.
Since then, “Al Ameen’s” business operations have proven to be financially successful, and supportive of further growth. “Al Ameen’s” management has decided to undertake a Phase-Two expansion of the existing facilities by an additional area of 5,835 m², which is expected to increase “Al Ameen’s” capacity to 8,400 metric tons.
The sea weeds industry provides a wide variety of products that have estimated turnover value of USD$ 6 Billion. The food products for human consumption contribute about US $ 5 Billion of this. Various substances are extracted from sea weeds, hydrocolloids animal feed additives. Industry is uses 7.5-8 million tons wet sea weeds annually. This is harvested either from naturally growing sea weeds or form cultivated farms crops. The farming of sea weed has expanded rapidly as demanded outstripped the supply available from the natural resource.
The sea weeds can be classified into the three broad groups; i.e. brown red and green. Sea weeds also called macro- algae. Naturally growing seaweeds are often referred as wild sea weeds in contrast to the seaweeds that cultivated or farmed.
Oman Fisheries proposes to explore the possibility of profitable business module by setting up a pilot plant in 2014-15.
This development project is the first in Oman concerning seaweeds and shellfishes (oysters and mussels).
The climate and marine waters along the coasts of Oman contain all the best conditions for the production of:
– Seaweeds: intense sunlight all along the year and high concentrations in nutrients, active water dynamic and currents.
– Shellfishes: high planktonic biomasses and high level of phytoplanktonic productivity (direct consequences of the permanent strong light and the high concentrations in nutrients).
Oysters on the Coast of Oman
The two main oyster species well represented throughtout the coast are Crassostrea belcheri and Saccostrea cucullata. These two species are nto exploited or produced in aquaculture in Oman. Only Saccostera cucullata is collected or consumed directly on coastal sites by the local population, particularyly in Al Wusta region.