Swiss marine power company WinGD has achieved another critical milestone on the path to low-carbon shipping using ammonia as a marine fuel, with successful testing of its X72DF-A engine in China. The company has completed the Factory Acceptance Test on the engine, which will be installed on a 210,000 dwt dry bulk carrier on order for CMB.TECH.

Testing of the X72DF-A engine was completed at CSSC Engine Co. (CSE), witnessed by Lloyd’s Register (LR) and representatives from classification societies American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and China Classification Society (CCS). The FAT certification joins the already received FIT and TAT approvals for the XDF-A platform, rounding out the robust test campaigns.

The 72-bore engine, built at CSE., with the fuel supply system manufactured by Sunrui Marine Environmental Engineering Co, is being installed on the first of ten bulkers on order for CMB.TECH, an order that demonstrates industry confidence that large-scale commercial vessels can operate safely and efficiently on ammonia, paving the way for widespread adoption across the global fleet. This recent testing, of the X52DF-A and X72DF-A, underscores that this confidence is well-placed.

Dominik Schneiter, CEO, WinGD said: “We’re proud to work closely with pioneering shipowners like CMB.TECH to build confidence in ammonia as a safe and efficient marine fuel for a zero-carbon future. The successful tests on our technology are the result of strong partnerships, where combined expertise enabled us to address the distinct challenges associated with bringing ammonia-fueled technology to market.”

Alexander Saverys, CEO of CMB.TECH said: “We started our journey on the development of the X72 DF-A with WinGD four years ago. Thanks to an excellent collaboration, we are able to deliver the first dual fuel ammonia engines to our large bulk carriers. This is a very important step in the decarbonisation journey of shipping.”

CSE Chief Engineer, Zhang Guangwei said: “Bringing a new engine design into commercial operation is aways the result of strong joint effort between engine and vessel designer, engine builder, shipyard and owner. CSE is honoured to be the first engine builder in China to deliver ammonia-fuelled engines to the maritime market, and to take an early role in what will become a significant market as ammonia fuel is used more widely in shipping.”

The X-DF-A engine features high-pressure ammonia injection supplemented by a low, targeted pilot fuel dose of around five per cent at full load. The engine delivers load handling, dynamic response and fuel efficiency on par with WinGD’s equivalent diesel-fuelled X Engines in both ammonia and diesel operating modes. Throughout a rigorous multi-year development and testing process, the XDF-A platform has proven to achieve over 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in ammonia mode compared to diesel mode.

WinGD has secured an early orderbook of 40 X-DF-A engines for a range of vessel types, underlining increasing market readiness for ammonia propulsion and giving shipowners choice as they navigate evolving regulatory and market demands on the path to net zero emissions.