Swiss engine developer WinGD and Engine Machinery Division (EMD) of the South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) have decided to collaborate on delivering the first WinGD engine capable of running on ammonia.
Through this collaboration, the partners aim to provide ‘a vital step’ in shipping’s progress towards decarbonisation .
Under a memorandum of understanding signed during the Posidonia exhibition on 7 June, the two parties announced their intention to deliver the 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.
“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,” Dominik Schneiter , VP R&D, WinGD, 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,” Kwang-Hean An , President COO, EMD, commented.
Specifically, 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.
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