The US-headquartered manufacturer of specialized marine filtration products and systems LiqTech International has clinched supplier approval for its water treatment system (WTS) for Swiss marine engine developer WinGD’s two-stroke dual-fuel engines.
As disclosed, the WTS is set to be supplied to the Swiss player’s engines in gas and diesel mode.
LiqTech’s technology enables ‘improved’ filtration, allowing the reuse of about 80-95% of feed water, per the company. The result of this is said to be reduced freshwater consumption onboard and minimal wastewater discharge, which is in line with global environmental stipulations.
The system’s main element is said to be silicon carbide (SiC) ceramic membranes. SiC is a ceramic material known for its hardness, thermal conductivity, and chemical resistance, making it highly durable in harsh environments.
SiC membranes reportedly provide “ultra-fine” filtration, removing contaminants, oil, and particulate matter from water.
Per LiqTech, the modular design of its WTS is suitable for both retrofits and newbuilds, with the possibility to increase capacity further after installation if needed.
The Winterthur-headquartered WinGD’s portfolio comprises low-speed engines and gen-sets operating on alternative fuels such as methanol , ammonia and liquefied natural gas (LNG), i.e the X‑DF‑M, X‑DF‑A, and X‑DF series, as well as the diesel‑fueled X‑Engines.
The company’s X-DF-A ammonia dual-fuel engine, which showed “stellar” performance in an early testing phase in December 2024, received the go-ahead from the UK’s classification society Lloyd’s Register in September 2023—just two months before French classification society Bureau Veritas (BV) granted the series its own stamp of approval .
Over the last six years, maritime industry stakeholders have shown an ever-increasing interest in dual-fuel engines for their fleets.
In fact, data from maritime freight management solutions provider Veson Nautical shows that as much as 65% of 2024’s containership orderbook comprised vessels outfitted with these solutions—a ‘significant’ rise from the 4% recorded in 2018.
LiqTech has highlighted that the majority of new vessels equipped with these engines require ‘reliable’ water treatment for exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems, with Clarksons Research data claiming that roughly 400 brand-new units are on order with EGR solutions planned between 2024 and 2027.
In July 2024, South Korean maritime representative Danbee Marine and LiqTech penned a partnership agreement to market the latter’s marine scrubber water treatment solutions, which are said to “outperform” discharge limits set by the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Marpol VI regulation, in South Korea.