Swiss marine power company WinGD has secured a groundbreaking order for its X‑DF‑A ammonia-fuelled engines, marking a significant step towards sustainable shipping. The order involves the construction of the world’s first ammonia dual-fuel Aframax tankers for Singapore-based ship owner and operator AET, to be built at Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co., Ltd (DSIC) with six-cylinder X62DF‑A engines.
Collaboration with AET
The order builds on previous cooperation between WinGD and AET to enable clean-energy ship operations. In July 2023 the companies signed an agreement to collaborate on technology development and training for crew in partnership with ALAM (operated and managed by MISC’s Malaysian Maritime Academy Sdn. Bjd) to prepare for ammonia-fuelled vessels entering service. Separately WinGD has continued to develop the safety credentials for ammonia-engines, securing approvals in principle (AiPs) from four classification societies: Lloyd’s Register, Bureau Veritas, China Classification Society and ClassNK.
WinGD’s Vision
WinGD Director Sales Volkmar Galke said: “First adopters of ammonia fuel are signalling confidence in the viability of both the fuel and the technology to use it. We have been working closely with AET since last year to bring this order to reality. This order, backed by our string of AiPs for our safety concepts and fuel supply system design shows that WinGD is leading the way in bringing carbon-free ammonia power to the deep-sea fleet.”
Engine Technology and Operational Flexibility
WinGD has already secured orders for X52DF‑A engines for ammonia carriers as well as X72DF‑A engines for bulk carriers. The 52 and 72-bore variants will be delivered in 2025 followed by the 62 bore and other engine sizes from 2026 according to market needs, accommodating a wide range of vessel types from small tankers and car carriers to very large tankers.
The engines operate according to the Diesel principle in both diesel and ammonia modes, with the same cylinder configurations and rating fields as WinGD’s well-established diesel-fuelled X‑Engine range.
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Source: WinGD
