WinGD and CMB.TECH bring combined expertise to zero-carbon fuel technology in groundbreaking collaboration for fleet of ammonia fuelled bulk carriers.
Swiss marine power company WinGD and Belgian shipping and cleantech group CMB.TECH have signed an agreement on the development of ammonia-fuelled two-stroke engines. The companies aim to install the ammonia dual-fuel X72DF engine on a series of ten x 210,000 DWT bulk carriers to be built at a Chinese shipyard in 2025 and 2026.
Under this joint development project, CMB.TECH will support WinGD in establishing its ammonia-fuelled engine concept for a large bore engine. CMB.TECH has significant insight into alternative fuels and builds, designs, owns and operates large marine and industrial applications that run on hydrogen and ammonia.
Both WinGD and CMB.TECH believe that ammonia will play a significant role in the decarbonisation of the maritime industry. The series of large bulk carriers powered by WinGD’s ammonia engines will be the first of its kind and proof that large sea-going vessels can be powered by zero-carbon fuels.
These newest engines in WinGD’s X-DF portfolio will add ammonia capability to the proven technology of WinGD’s X engines. They will be based on the X92B engine, whose market-leading fuel efficiency makes it an ideal starting point for developing large bore ammonia-fuelled engines.
The development project with CMB.TECH is one of several projects WinGD is carrying out with shipowners and engine builders to ensure that dual-fuel ammonia two-stroke engines will be available as the global fleet prepares to adopt green fuels to meet long-term decarbonisation targets.