Neuman & Esser (NEA) Ltd., Hydrogen de France (HDF) Energy, and GIZ have signed a letter of intent to jointly explore green H₂ applications for decarbonizing maritime transport across Indonesia’s small islands. This initiative forms part of a broader public-private partnership (PPP) project, officially launched during the H2Uppp Southeast Asia Conference on Green H₂ and Power-to-X in Bangkok.

Indonesia’s opportunity for sustainable ferries. As the world’s largest archipelagic nation, Indonesia depends heavily on inter-island maritime transport—an essential backbone for economic and social activities. However, many existing ferry operations rely on fossil fuels and are constrained by isolated energy grids, especially in the country’s eastern regions.

To address these challenges, NEA and HDF Energy, supported by GIZ under the International H₂ Ramp-Up Program (H2Uppp), will lead a feasibility study examining hybrid H₂ and battery-powered ferry systems. The goal: deliver a robust technical and financial blueprint for clean, reliable, and scalable interisland transport.

This project is directly aligned with Indonesia’s national goals, including the recently launched National H₂ Roadmap and the country’s Net Zero Emission Roadmap for the Energy Sector. The initiative also receives support from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and is designed as a reference for future pilot projects led by public and private sector stakeholders both in Indonesia and beyond.

At the signing ceremony, representatives from all organizations highlighted the unique opportunity and urgency to link maritime and energy transitions. Atiek Puspa Fadhilah, Advisor for GIZ Indonesia, stressed the importance of immediate action, “There is demand from the maritime sector and a push for energy transition in Indonesia. While the H₂ strategy for maritime transport will start in 2030, it is optimal we contribute solutions now. We hope this project will help accelerate maritime decarbonization in Indonesia and the wider region.”

“The two worlds of maritime and energy transition go together. There is a demand from the maritime sector, and a push for energy transition in Indonesia, which are the Net-zero Emission Roadmap for the Energy Sector and the H₂ Roadmap which has been published recently. While the H₂ strategy for maritime transport will start in 2030, it would be optimal that we start working on contributing the solutions now. With our project’s objective centering around solutions to decarbonize ferry transport in the small island context, it is my hope that the result from our project will contribute to the push for decarbonization of the maritime transport in Indonesia and beyond,” said Atiek Puspa Fadhilah, Advisor, GIZ Indonesia, in her presentation of the PPP Concept and Objectives.