WinGD and Hyundai Heavy Industries’ Engine Machinery Division (EMD) are to collaborate on delivering the first WinGD engine capable of running on ammonia, providing a vital step in shipping’s progress towards decarbonisation.
Under an MOU (Memo of Understanding) signed during the Posidonia exhibition on 7 June, the two parties will aim to deliver a first engine by 2025, in line with WinGD’s previously announced timeframe for bringing ammonia engines to market. The project will explore ammonia concepts for both diesel-fuelled WinGD X-type engines and dual-fuel LNG X-DF engines.
Dominik Schneiter, VP R&D, WinGD said: “This project will give WinGD and HHI an important advantage in the development of ammonia-fuelled marine engines. It will set the path for a new generation of two-stroke engine technology applicable to a wide range of cargo vessels in the coming decades.”
Kwang-Hean An, President COO, EMD said: “There is strong market demand for commercialised ammonia-powered vessels in the near future. This collaboration with WinGD will ensure that EMD is ready to support that demand with the required engine technologies.”
Dominik Schneiter, VP R&D, WinGD
The project will include developing relevant safety, emissions abatement and fuel supply solutions for ammonia engines targeting the local market.
Ammonia is a hydrogen based zero-carbon fuel that can be produced with no greenhouse gas emissions using renewable electricity. It is likely to have an important role in the decarbonisation of shipping, particularly in deep-sea shipping where net-zero carbon fuel options with the required energy density for feasible onboard storage are limited.
Ammonia-fuelled engines will join WinGD’s solutions ecosystem designed to help ship owners and operators decarbonise their vessels. Alongside its multi-fuel engines WinGD has developed a range of optimisation solutions, including hybrid power system integration and state-of-the-art digital optimisation systems, to minimise fuel costs and provide operational flexibility.
Source: Hellenic Shipping News
