With pride, the ITS Nawasena Team once again won the World Ferry Design Championship.

Visualization of passengers disembarking from MV Great Idia, a design by the ITS Nawasena Team that won second place in the 2026 International Student Design Competition.

ITS Campus, ITS News — The Nawasena Team from the Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) has once again made a proud achievement on the international stage by winning second place in the International Student Design Competition held by the World Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) 2026. This achievement was attained through the innovative design of the MV Great Idia ferry, which incorporates environmentally friendly technology based on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).

This world-class ferry design competition was held online starting in December 2025, with the winners announced in February 2026. For this achievement, the ITS Nawasena team is also scheduled to attend the award ceremony 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. The team consists 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), as well as two students from the ITS Department of Mechanical Engineering (Fahmi Wira Dewantara and Bima Bagus Setyobudi). The team is supervised by Prof. Dr. Ir. Agoes Santoso, M.Sc., and Dr. Achmad Baidowi, ST, MT.

The ITS Nawasena team won the 2026 World Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) international competition with their MV Great Idia ship innovation.

In the competition, the Nawasena team presented the concept of the MV Great Idia ferry, designed as a safe, efficient, and sustainable river transportation solution for the Lokoja–Onitsha route on the Niger River in Nigeria, in line with the competition theme. “This ship uses a wave-piercing catamaran hull design, which reduces hydrodynamic drag, improves stability, and increases operational efficiency in shallow waters,” said Bachtiar Shifa Bahari, Chair of the ITS Nawasena Team.

Measuring 35 meters in length, 11.4 meters in width, and with a draft depth of approximately 0.8 meters, the MV Great Idia can carry up to 200 passengers and 16 tons of cargo. The vessel is designed to cover the route in about five hours with safe and reliable operational standards.

In terms of energy sustainability, the MV Great Idia uses CNG fuel, in line with Nigeria’s national clean energy program. “The ship’s electrical system is supported by CNG-fueled generators, solar panels, and waste heat recovery technology to improve energy efficiency while reducing carbon emissions,” added Bachtiar.

Summary of the CNG filling port innovation developed by the ITS Nawasena Team on the MV Great Idia ship.

In addition, according to Bachtiar, the limited dock facilities on the Lokoja – Onitsha route were also taken into consideration in the design of this ship. To overcome this challenge, MV Great Idia is equipped with a front ramp door and onboard crane, so that passengers can board and disembark and cargo can be loaded and reloaded without relying on permanent port infrastructure.

Bactiar said that safety was also a major focus in the design of this ship. The MV Great Idia was designed in accordance with the Bureau Veritas domestic navigation ship classification standard (NR217) and is equipped with the Nawasena Navigation Assisted (NAVENA) system, which functions as an early warning system to support collision prevention in congested crossing lanes.

This success further solidifies the consistency of the ITS Nawasena Team in international ship design competitions. In recent years, this team has also achieved various outstanding achievements. Among them are 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 student ship design competition organized by the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) in 2025.

Visualization of cargo unloading using the MV Great Idia crane designed by the ITS Nawasena Team.

Through the MV Great Idia innovation, the ITS Nawasena Team demonstrated the capacity of Indonesian students to produce research-based designs that are capable of responding to water transportation challenges 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 environmentally friendly future for the maritime industry.

This innovation also supports the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Specifically, SDG 7 on Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG 9 on Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, and SDG 13 on Climate Action through the development of more environmentally friendly water transportation. (ITS Public Relations)