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Embattled shrimp producer PT Central Proteinaprima on Monday blamed a virus outbreak as the main reason for failing to meet a bond interest payment that was due in December.

In a statement to the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX), CP Prima said the virus attack meant it was unable to meet the Dec. 28 coupon payment on the $325 million in senior notes issued by its subsidiary, Blue Ocean.

“We had predicted that our financial performance would be affected by the virus attack in our subsidiary’s shrimp farms,” said Albert Sebastian, CP Prima’s corporate secretary. “The weakened financial performance caused the company to miss a bond interest payment on Dec. 28.”

Despite the explanation, the IDX said it was still planning to meet with the board of the world’s largest shrimp producer to get a clearer picture of the problem.

Trading in CP Prima shares was suspended on Friday after Fitch Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service downgraded the company’s bond rating following the missed the payment.

In December, Erwin Sutanto, CP Prima’s president director, said the infectious myonecrosis virus had devastated the company’s shrimp production. Harvest volumes plunged from 8,486 tons in January to 3,536 tons in September. Production at the company’s main Central Pertiwi Bahari farm dove from 5,728 tons in January to below 433 tons in September.

The company’s revenue declined by 14 percent to Rp 5.2 trillion ($551 million) in the nine months to September, while net profit tumbled 80 percent to Rp 24 billion.

Albert said the company is trying to handle the problem by improving farm sanitation and developing shrimp that can resist viruses better.

IDX director Eddy Sugito said trading in CP Prima’s shares would remain suspended until the exchange is satisfied with the company’s explanation.

“We will meet the company’s board this week to clarify several things, such as the bond restructuring, the company’s financial performance and the handling of the virus. After we get sufficient data and disseminate the information to investors, then we may lift the suspension,” he said.

Before trading was suspended, CP Prima shares were changing hands at Rp 60 each.

Prawn expert Mathew Briggs said the virus outbreak hit CP Prima’s Central Pertiwi Bahari farm in March. He said that if the proper measures were taken, shrimp production at the affected farms could be raised again.

“After adopting enhanced standard operating procedures and other techniques to improve disease resistance, the affected shrimp farms should return to normal production,” Briggs wrote in a report in November.

However, he added that there was a danger that similar diseases could hit the company’s other shrimp farms this year.