New hydrogen alliance targets cleaner shipping in Indonesia’s small islands

August 11, 2025, by Aida Čučuk

French hydrogen player HDF Energy, German engineering company Neuman & Esser (NEA), and German International Cooperation Society (GIZ) have signed a letter of intent (LoI) to jointly explore green hydrogen applications for decarbonizing maritime transport across Indonesia’s small islands.

Credit: German International Cooperation Society (GIZ)

NEA and HDF Energy, supported by GIZ under the International Hydrogen Ramp-Up Program (H2Uppp), will reportedly lead a feasibility study examining hybrid hydrogen and battery-powered ferry systems, with the goal of delivering a technical and financial blueprint for clean, reliable, and scalable interisland transport.

The project is said to be aligned with Indonesia’s national goals, including the National Hydrogen Roadmap and the Net Zero Emission Roadmap for the energy sector. As informed, it is also supported by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and is expected to serve as a reference for future pilot projects led by public and private sector stakeholders in Indonesia and beyond.

Atiek Puspa Fadhilah, Advisor for GIZ Indonesia, commented: “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 Hydrogen Roadmap which has been published recently. While the hydrogen 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 decarbonise ferry transport in the small island context, it is my hope that the result from our project will contribute to the push for decarbonisation of the maritime transport in Indonesia and beyond.”

To note, earlier in 2025, HDF Energy signed two strategic agreements to accelerate the deployment of its Renewstable hydrogen power plants in Indonesia. Furthermore, the company’s subsidiary PT HDF Energy Indonesia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore decarbonizing the country’s maritime sector using green hydrogen.