ITS Campus, ITS News — The Nawasena Team from the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) has once again achieved a proud achievement on the international stage by winning 2nd place in the International Student Design Competition organized by the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) 2026. This achievement was achieved through the innovative design of the MV Great Idia ferry which carries environmentally friendly technology based on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).
The world-class ferry design competition will be held online from December 2025, with the winner announced in February 2026. For this achievement, the ITS Nawasena team is also scheduled to attend an awarding speech event to be held in New York City, United States, on May 5-7, 2026.
This prestigious world-class event was attended by 18 teams from nine countries, namely Indonesia, Pakistan, England, Bangladesh, the United States, Portugal, Egypt, the Philippines, and Nigeria. The ITS Nawasena Team itself consists of 10 students. Consisting of eight students from the ITS Department of Marine Engineering (Bachtiar Shifa Bahari, Khansa Arkhap Farica, Andrean Prakoso Frans LP, Muhamad Farid F, M Dzaki Al Husni, Reihan Rizky Ardiansyah, and William Noah Marthin S), and two students from the ITS Department of Mechanical Engineering (Fahmi Wira Dewantara and Bima Bagus Setyobudi). This team is guided by Prof. Dr. Ir. Agoes Santoso MSc and Dr. Achmad Baidowi ST MT.
In the competition, the Nawasena team proposed the MV Great Idia ferry, designed as a safe, efficient, and sustainable river transportation solution on the Lokoja-Onitsha route on the Niger River, Nigeria, in accordance with the established competition theme. “This vessel adopts a wave-piercing catamaran hull design that is able to reduce hydrodynamic drag, increase stability, and improve operational efficiency in shallow waters,” explained Bachtiar Shifa Bahari, Team Leader from Nawasena ITS.
With a length of 35 meters, a width of 11.4 meters, and a draft of approximately 0.8 meters, the MV Great Idia can carry up to 200 passengers and 16 tons of market cargo. The ship is designed to cover approximately five hours of travel with safe and reliable operational standards.
In terms of energy sustainability, the MV Great Idia uses CNG fuel, which aligns with Nigeria’s national clean energy program. “The ship’s electrical system is supported by a CNG-powered generator, solar panels, and waste heat recovery technology to increase energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions,” Bachtiar further explained.
Furthermore, according to Bachtiar, the limited docking facilities on the Lokoja-Onitsha route were also taken into consideration in the ship’s design. To address this challenge, the MV Great Idia is equipped with a forward ramp door and an onboard crane, allowing passenger boarding and disembarkation and cargo loading and unloading without relying on permanent port infrastructure.
Bactiar stated that safety was also a primary focus in the ship’s design. The MV Great Idia was designed in accordance with Bureau Veritas’ inland navigation vessel classification standards (NR217) and is equipped with the Nawasena Navigation Assisted (NAVENA) system, which functions as an early warning system to help prevent collisions on busy ferry routes.
This success further confirms the ITS Nawasena Team’s consistency in international ship design competitions. In recent years, the team has also achieved various outstanding achievements. These include first place in the 2022 WFSA International Student Design Competition, third place in the 2023 WFSA International Student Design Competition, first place in the 2024 WFSA International Student Design Competition, third place in the 2025 WFSA International Student Design Competition, and third place in the 2025 student ship design competition organized by the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME).
Through the MV Great Idia innovation, the ITS Nawasena Team demonstrated the capacity of Indonesian students to produce research-based designs that address the challenges of water transportation in a contextual and sustainable manner. This achievement is expected to inspire the younger generation to continue innovating in building a safer, more efficient, and more environmentally friendly future for the maritime industry.
This innovation certainly supports the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 7 on Clean and Affordable Energy, SDG 9 on Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, and SDG 13 on Climate Change Mitigation through the development of more environmentally friendly water transportation. (ITS Public Relations)
Translator: Devinka Mutianeira