Ammonia-fuelled engines

Swiss marine power company WinGD has secured further orders for its ammonia-fuelled X-DF-A engine design in the growing ammonia carrier market. The engines, to be built at Yuchai Marine Power Co, will be delivered for a total of seven 25,000 cubic metre and 41,000 cubic metre LPG/ammonia carriers ordered by Tianjin Southwest Shipping. The vessels will deploy 5- and 6-cylinder versions of the 52-bore X-DF-A engines and are scheduled to enter service from Q3 2026.

The orders will be built by Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding, a shipyard with strong experience in the construction of small- and medium-sized gas carriers. The new orders highlight WinGD’s growing stake in the gas carrier market, which is a vital link in the emerging global supply chain for green ammonia as well as a pioneering segment for the uptake of ammonia as marine fuel.

WinGD Director Sales, Volkmar Galke said: “The demand for gas carriers is growing rapidly as the central role of ammonia in the hydrogen economy is becoming clear. WinGD has already reported multiple orders of its new X-DF-A engine in this segment, and these new orders – a result of our strong relationships in the Chinese shipping market – further the transition towards a sustainable shipping industry that can operate on the zero-carbon energy sources it carries.”

WinGD has been developing its X-DF-A ammonia technology since 2019. The company says it has been “following a systematic approach that prioritises safety and a deep understanding of the fuel’s combustion characteristics. The concept has been granted approvals in principle from several leading classification societies, giving ship operators the assurances they need to deploy them safely, with the first engines set to enter service in 2026.

WinGD says it has secured close to 30 orders to date for ammonia-fuelled X-DF-A engines, with sizes ranging from 52- to 72-bore, for vessels including bulk carriers, gas carriers, container vessels and oil tankers.