Pertamina launches autonomous trash-skimming boat for Bali waters

Denpasar — Pertamina has launched an autonomous trash-skimming boat in Bali to help collect floating waste in coastal waters, according to local reports and company-linked coverage published in June 2026.

The vessel, described as Autonomous Trash Skimmer, was inaugurated at Pantai Sekeh in Badung on 10 June 2026 during World Environment Day observances, according to reporting that cited Pertamina officials. The project was developed with the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology, or ITS.

Coverage of the launch said the boat is designed to detect and collect marine litter using ultrasonics, cameras, GPS and artificial intelligence, and that it uses a catamaran hull. The same reports said it is 8 meters long and includes a real-time monitoring system.

Pertamina and ITS also identified an initial pilot area in Badung, with The Patra Bali Resort & Villas and the nearby aviation fuel terminal mentioned as the first operating locations. The reports said the company was targeting a reduction of about 1 ton of coastal waste a year in the Bali pilot area.

The Bali initiative is part of a wider effort by Pertamina to apply the same waste-collection concept in other coastal locations. One report said the company intended to expand the program to several other sites, including fuel and terminal facilities outside Bali.

In a separate company-related report, Pertamina Patra Niaga said it had integrated 70 ships into its Smartship system for operational monitoring, showing the company already uses the term smartship in a broader logistics context. That is distinct from the Bali waste-collection vessel.

The launch date confirmed by the sources is 10 June 2026, not 30 August 2026. The Bali waste-collection boat is therefore a confirmed Pertamina initiative, but it should be described as an autonomous trash skimmer for coastal waste management rather than as an unverified “Bali Smart Ship” water-treatment project.

Sources

• Harian Disway
• Turisian
• Sustain Life Today
• Kontan
• Indonesia Expat