Swiss marine power company WinGD will provide X‑DF‑M dual-fuel methanol and X-Engine methanol-ready engine designs for over  30 container vessels to be built for a major Taiwanese container ship operator. As well as indicating the competitiveness of WinGD’s methanol concept, the contract highlights the immediate impact of IMO’s Net Zero Framework and GHG Fuel Intensity (GFI) Standard on vessel ordering.

The  owner’s most recent order is for methanol-ready X92 engines for twelve 16,000 TEU vessels. They join existing orders placed earlier in the year for twenty 8,700 TEU container vessels, when the company selected methanol-ready X82 engines for fourteen vessels, with the remainder to deploy X82DF-M methanol-fuelled engines.

WinGD Director of Sales Volkmar Galke said: “Alongside engine capex and fuel efficiency, owners now need to consider which fuels they can access to in order to reduce IMO compliance costs. Our Taiwanese customer considered its fuelling strategy to reduce costs under the new GFI regime and we are glad that our engines will be part of their winning formula.”

In the run-up to the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) meeting in April, the  owner had been considering LNG dual-fuel engine designs for its latest newbuild series. After the approval of the IMO’s Net Zero Framework at that meeting the operator re-evaluated its decision, opting to proceed with a portfolio of methanol-ready engines—potentially using biodiesel until they are converted—alongside earlier methanol-fuelled engine orders.

WinGD CEO Dominik Schneiter said: “The customer’s strategy of adopting zero or near-zero emission fuels illustrates the shift that effective regulation can bring—and why it is critical that the industry does not lose momentum as the final, crucial elements of the GFI Standard pricing mechanism are decided. A reward factor that closes the cost gap between conventional and clean fuels is essential if the industry is going to meet its decarbonisation targets.”

WinGD is ready to support ship operators whichever fuel pathway they choose. Its diesel-fuelled X-Engines and dual-fuel LNG X-DF engines support the use of biodiesel and biomethane blends respectively. And its X-DF-M methanol dual-fuel and X-DF-A ammonia dual-fuel engines—both of which are being delivered for the first time this year—allow for uptake of zero or near-zero emissions (ZNZ) fuels when operators are ready.

All WinGD engines can be converted to use ZNZ fuels thanks to a common, robust engine platform and WinGD’s retrofit-ready, modular design approach. The company is already gaining experience in methanol retrofit projects and can provide unique support for shipowners in completing these projects thanks to its OEM expertise and strong relationships with yards and engine builders.