Swiss marine power company WinGD has revealed that its first X-DF-A dual-fuel ammonia engines are on track for delivery by Q1 2025, with the first X-DF-A-powered vessels entering service in 2026.
The announcement follows WinGD conducting combustion tests at its research facilities in December 2022, and the subsequent development of an engine concept that can run on ammonia in a safe and reliable manner.
Additional agreements regarding the use of ammonia have also been signed by WinGD. Last month the company announced it is working with AET Tankers and sister company Akademi Laut Malaysia to develop crew training on ammonia engine, and a partnership was announced in January between WinGD and CMB.Tech for the development of ammonia-fueled engines for 10 210,000 DWT bulk carrier vessels.
Other recent developments include a memorandum of understanding with Mitsubishi Shipbuilding to prepare X-DF-A for use on board a range of different sized vessels and for integration with the engine builder’s ammonia fuel supply system.
The accelerated development of the X-DF-A dual-fuel ammonia engines was supported by WinGD’s Spray Combustion Chamber (SCC), a validation platform located at the company’s Engine Research & Innovation Centre (ERIC) in Winterthur, Switzerland. The engine’s first ignition took place in 2022 and following the test program, WinGD has gathered insights into ammonia consumption and emissions.
Moving forward, WinGD will begin testing a purpose built single-cylinder engine located at ERIC Winterthur and a multi-cylinder test engine at the company’s Global Test Centre in Shanghai, China. The tests will be conducted in partnership with China Shipbuilding Power Engineering Institute (CSPI).
“For the industry to be truly ready for alternative fuels, the engine concepts that use them – and the vessel designs, auxiliary systems, crew training and field support network – need to be ready before the fuels become widely available,” said Dominik Schneiter, CEO, WinGD. “Our development timeframe, as evidenced by these milestones in research and collaboration, shows that we are on track to give shipowners and operators the time they need to prepare for decarbonized ship power using ammonia as fuel.”