WinGD partners with SHI to implement ammonia-powered engines

Swiss marine engine maker WinGD and South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) have agreed to cooperate on implementing ammonia-fuelled engines at the Gastech Conference 2023 in Singapore.

PHOTO: Model of WinGD's dual-fuel ammonia marine engine. WinGD

This signals a “strong intention on the part of SHI” to install WinGD’s dual-fuel ammonia engines on forthcoming newbuild vessels, WinGD says.

Under the agreement, both companies will work toward preparing WinGD’s dual-fuel ammonia engines “for integration with wider ammonia fuel systems and auxiliary machinery across a range of vessel designs, including oil tankers, container ships and ammonia carriers,” WinGD adds.

This project is in sync with WinGD’s previously announced timeline of bringing its dual-fuel ammonia engines into service from the first quarter of 2025.

“Working with WinGD to prepare its ammonia engines for integration with newbuild projects in key vessel segments will ensure that SHI can offer customers the future fuel vessel solutions they need to meet their decarbonisation targets,” SHI’s chief technology officer Haeki Jang says.

WinGD is expected to start evaluating its ammonia-fuelled engine concept on single and multi-cylinder test engines in Winterthur and Shanghai later this year.

Ammonia gaining steam

Ammonia has increasingly been put forward as one of the most likely marine fuels with zero emission potential, which has spurred engine makers to commit to developing ammonia-fuelled engines.

German MAN Energy Solutions (MAN ES) recently completed combustion tests on its two-stroke dual-fuel ammonia engine, which it expects to deliver to a shipyard by the fourth quarter of 2024.

Meanwhile, Finnish engine maker Wärtsilä is working on a project called “Ammonia 2-4” along with the classification society DNV, Mediterranean Shipping Company and the National Research Council of Italy to develop two-stroke marine engines running on ammonia fuel.

The Japanese duo of Japan Engine Corporation (J-ENG) and Akasaka Diesel are also working on developing an ammonia engine by 2025.

By Tuhin Roy

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