Six Surabaya Maritime Students Win Grand Champion in Thailand

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – Six students from the Surabaya Shipping Polytechnic (Poltekpel Surabaya) won the Grand Champion title at the International Essay Competition – 10th FAPERTA FAIR (Futuristics and Prestige Research, Technology and Art) in Bangkok, Thailand, held on August 8–9, 2026. According to a statement received in Jakarta on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, the Poltekpel Surabaya team not only won the overall championship but also secured five medals and four Favorite Poster awards in the international competition organized by the Sentosa Foundation in collaboration with Chiang Mai University.

The competition, held at the Grand Tower Inn Rama VI in Bangkok, was attended by participants from several countries, including Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Thailand, Sudan, Malaysia, China, and Brunei Darussalam. The six students representing Poltekpel Surabaya were Rorusman Jadid Nurhadi as team leader, Anka Neha Aramita, Aditya Rahmat Febriansyah, Muhammad Fathur Rakhman, Elifel Tiofano Songko, and Ahmad Naufal Aditya.

During the competition, the Poltekpel Surabaya team presented five research papers addressing strategic issues in the maritime sector across five subthemes: Technology, Health, Tourism, Social and Economics, and Environment.

In the Technology subtheme, the team won a gold medal for its paper titled “(HYDRA) An Intelligent Hydrogen Deployment and Resource Allocation Platform for Maritime Decarbonization.” The paper focused on the use of technology and hydrogen resource management to support decarbonization efforts in the maritime sector. A silver medal was awarded for the Health subtheme paper titled “(SEAMIND): Smartwatch-Based Mental Health Monitoring System Seafarers.” The research explored the use of smartwatch technology to monitor the mental health and well-being of seafarers.

Another silver medal was won in the Tourism subtheme for the paper titled “PIRATES: A Port Immersive Recreation and Traditional Education System with a Virtual Reality-Based Mini Museum for Maritime Cultural Preservation and Seafarer Education.” The work combined virtual reality technology with maritime education and cultural preservation through a port-based mini museum concept.

Meanwhile, bronze medals were awarded for “TRADE: Transparent Registry and Accredited Distribution for Hydrogen Exchange” in the Social and Economics subtheme and “SHIFT: Sustainable Hydrogen Innovation for Future Transport” in the Environment subtheme. In addition to the five medals, the Poltekpel Surabaya team also received Favorite Poster awards in four subthemes: Environment, Social and Economics, Tourism, and Health.

Director of Poltekpel Surabaya Moejiono expressed his appreciation for the achievement, saying that the students’ success demonstrated not only their academic abilities but also their capacity to develop research and innovations relevant to challenges facing the global maritime sector.

“This achievement is a source of pride for the D-IV Sea Transportation Study Program and, of course, for Poltekpel Surabaya. What the students have achieved shows that they not only possess academic capabilities but are also able to develop ideas, conduct research, and present innovations relevant to the challenges facing the global maritime sector,” Moejiono said.

He added that the achievement also highlighted the importance of collaboration across study programs in developing comprehensive solutions to various challenges in the maritime sector.

Team leader Rorusman Jadid Nurhadi said winning the Grand Champion title at an international competition was a valuable experience and a strong motivation for the team to continue developing innovations in the maritime field.

“We are grateful for the awards we received. Winning the Grand Champion title is a very proud achievement and a great motivation for us to continue creating and developing innovations in the maritime sector,” he said.

The achievement demonstrates that Poltekpel Surabaya students are capable of competing at the international level while reinforcing the institution’s commitment to producing innovative and competitive maritime transportation professionals who can respond to future challenges in the maritime sector.