WinGD has secured an early orderbook of 40 X-DF-A engines for a range of vessel types.
A Swiss marine power company has achieved another critical milestone on the path to low-carbon shipping using ammonia as a marine fuel. WinGD completed successful testing of its X72DF-A engine in China.
The company has also completed the Factory Acceptance Test on the engine, which will be installed on a 210,000 dwt dry bulk carrier on order for CMB.TECH.
“We’re proud to work closely with pioneering shipowners like CMB.TECH to build confidence in ammonia as a safe and efficient marine fuel for a zero-carbon future,” said Dominik Schneiter, CEO, WinGD Ltd.
Engine features high-pressure ammonia injection
WinGD also revealed that the testing of the X72DF-A engine was completed at CSSC Engine Co. (CSE), witnessed by Lloyd’s Register (LR) and representatives from classification societies American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and China Classification Society (CCS). The FAT certification joins the already received FIT and TAT approvals for the XDF-A platform, rounding out the robust test campaigns.
The 72-bore engine, built at CSE, with the fuel supply system manufactured by Sunrui Marine Environmental Engineering Co, is being installed on the first of ten bulkers on order for CMB.TECH. An order that demonstrates industry confidence that large-scale commercial vessels can operate safely and efficiently on ammonia, paving the way for widespread adoption across the global fleet. This recent testing, of the X52DF-A and X72DF-A, underscores that this confidence is well-placed, according to a press release.
“We started our journey on the development of the X72 DF-A with WinGD four years ago. Thanks to an excellent collaboration, we are able to deliver the first dual fuel ammonia engines to our large bulk carriers. This is a very important step in the decarbonisation journey of shipping,” said Alexander Saverys, CEO of CMB.TECH.
The X-DF-A engine features high-pressure ammonia injection supplemented by a low, targeted pilot fuel dose of around five per cent at full load. The engine delivers load handling, dynamic response and fuel efficiency on par with WinGD’s equivalent diesel-fuelled X Engines in both ammonia and diesel operating modes. Throughout a rigorous multi-year development and testing process, the X-DF-A platform has proven to achieve over 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in ammonia mode compared to diesel mode, as per the release.
New engine design into commercial operation
“Bringing a new engine design into commercial operation is aways the result of strong joint effort between engine and vessel designer, engine builder, shipyard and owner,” said CSE Chief Engineer, Zhang Guangwei.
“CSE is honoured to be the first engine builder in China to deliver ammonia-fuelled engines to the maritime market, and to take an early role in what will become a significant market as ammonia fuel is used more widely in shipping.”
WinGD has secured an early orderbook of 40 X-DF-A engines for a range of vessel types, underlining increasing market readiness for ammonia propulsion and giving shipowners choice as they navigate evolving regulatory and market demands on the path to net zero emissions, according to details available.
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Prabhat, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, is a tech and defense journalist. While he enjoys writing on modern weapons and emerging tech, he has also reported on global politics and business. He has been previously associated with well-known media houses, including the International Business Times (Singapore Edition) and ANI.