Addressing fuel scarcity and pollution in Indonesia’s coastal fisheries

The Center for Capture Fisheries (BBPI) of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) organized a Technical Capacity Training event titled “Application of Fuel-Saving Technology for Fishing Fleets” in Southeast Maluku Regency (Fisheries Management Area/FMA 718). The event was supported by a grant program from GEF-6 CFI Indonesia, aiming to promote fuel efficiency and reduce its impact on marine pollution.

Fisherman carefully measure and refill fuel as part of fuel-saving efforts

Addressing Fuel Access Challenges in Remote Islands

This Technical Capacity Training addresses the challenges faced by small-scale fishers in accessing fuel. Fishermen in outer islands like Southeast Maluku often face limited or unavailable fuel supplies due to the absence of Fishers Refueling Stations (SPBN) or Gas Stations (SPBU) in those areas. As a result, fishers and fuel retailers frequently need to travel to city centers or even cross islands to purchase fuel from the nearest SPBN or SPBU, significantly increasing their operational costs.

This training was held in one of CFI Indonesia's fostered villages, Watkidat Village, in West-Southern Kei Besar District, Southeast Maluku Regency. It's one of Indonesia’s outermost islands bordering Australia. In Watkidat, to get fuel, fishers must travel to Kei Kecil Island (about a 2-hour trip by boat and then by land transportation). Even in Kei Kecil, the fuel supply is limited and often must be ordered in advance. People line up in long queues, and fishers have to compete with cars and motorcycles for hours. They can obtain fuel without having to queue, but the price is 20% more expensive. Considering the fluctuating nature of the fishers' catch and the challenging sea conditions, this illustrates that the fuel issue faced daily by fishers in Watkidat and other remote islands in Indonesia is a significant concern.

Fuel refilling by fishermen

Introducing “A-Mat Ben”: A Simple but Powerful Innovation

To address this, CFI Indonesia, in cooperation with Semarang Fisheries Research Center (BBPI) introduced a gasoline-saving device called “A-Mat Ben", which is a fuel ionizer composed of permanent neodymium magnets. A-Mat Ben ionizes fuel molecules, making them bind more easily with oxygen, resulting in more efficient combustion in the engine's combustion chamber. This enhances engine power, reduces fuel consumption (with savings ranging from 4% to 14% based on tests results), and lowers exhaust emissions, making it more environmentally friendly.

The A-Mat Ben devices installed on the boat engines of the Technical Capacity Training participants offer several advantages: they are relatively small and compact so they require minimal space for installation, need no external power supply, are easy to install, and have magnetic shielding that ensures they only affect the fuel flow and are safe for nearby electronic equipment.

In general, participants expressed gratitude for the implementation of the “Application of Fuel-Saving Technology for Fishing Fleets” Training in Watkidat. They hoped that this A-Mat Ben, would help reduce fuel consumption during fishing operations, provide a solution to their fuel access challenges, and that similar activities would be offered in the future to other fishers who had not yet had the opportunity to participate.

The activity was appreciated by the Regional Secretary Official of Southeast Maluku Regency, Nicodemus Ubro, who attended the event and officially opened it. Ubro emphasized that technical training events such as this are essential, especially for regions located on outer islands like Watkidat, where fuel availability is extremely limited and difficult to access.

Three months after the Training, BBPI Semarang conducted monitoring and evaluation by interviewing several participants. Based on the data and information gathered during this monitoring, several conclusions were drawn:

1. A-Mat Ben were still being used as of December 2024 (when monev was conducted) by the fishers who received the devices during the Training;
2. No issues were found with engines using A-Mat Ben;
3. Gasoline savings were reported, ranging from 1–5 liters or 10%–50%. These variations may be attributed to differences in engine rotation speeds among users, varying engine sizes (15 HP, 25 HP, and 50 HP), and different weather conditions during operation.

Fuel-saving awareness session for fishermen to support more efficient fishing operations

Contributing to Cleaner Oceans and Climate Action

Based on these findings, BBPI Semarang hopes that the use of A-Mat Ben, as introduced through this Training, can serve as an add a solution to fuel-related challenges faced by fishers in underdeveloped, remote, frontier, or outermost regions of Indonesia—while also reducing marine pollution.

The continued use of fossil fuels at sea has the potential to become a significant source of pollution, threatening the sustainability of marine ecosystems and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions that drive global climate change. Through this initiative, CFI Indonesia plays a role in helping to preserve the ocean as one of the earth’s most valuable natural assets and in reducing the growing pressure on its environment.