At the opening of Indonesia Maritime Week 2025 in Jakarta on Monday, he emphasized the importance of modernizing the low-emission ship fleet and developing green infrastructure on an appropriate scale to encourage a comprehensive and sustainable maritime sector transformation.
According to Yudhoyono, there is a lag in maritime transportation compared to the land sector.
"Therefore, a fundamental restructuring of our maritime financing ecosystem is urgently needed," he pointed out.
He said that obstacles to modernizing the aging ship fleet with lower emissions must be overcome, and green infrastructure must be built on an appropriate scale.
According to Yudhoyono, the maritime sector is lagging due to a lack of long-term financing instruments in Indonesia, unlike developed countries that support ships with an operational age of up to 70 years.
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National shipowners tend to rely on generic commercial loans, creating significant financial barriers that hinder the development of a competitive shipping industry.
Based on data from the National Development Planning Ministry, Indonesia has 98 thousand ships with an average age of 20 years, including fishing vessels and merchant ships that are the backbone of national economic and trade connectivity.
Minister Yudhoyono emphasized that the transition to low-carbon ships must be supported by green port infrastructure with LNG stations, hydrogen, and smart logistics systems.
"We must develop a green financing scheme with low interest rates, blended finance models involving KPBU (Government and Business Entity Cooperation) and dedication to maritime facilities that are potentially supported by sovereign funds," he said.
On that occasion, he also stressed the development of ports in eastern Indonesia to reduce logistics costs, strengthen national integration, and ensure that all islands participate in growth.
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Translator: Muhammad Harianto, Yashinta Difa
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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