Switzerland-based marine power company WinGD has been tapped to supply its X-DF-M dual-fuel methanol and methanol-ready X-engine designs for over 30 boxships to be constructed for a Taiwanese container shipping player.
As disclosed, the methanol-ready X-92 engines are to be fitted onto vessels with a 16,000 TEU capacity. The order reportedly follows a booking from earlier this year that entailed the equipping of fourteen 8,700 TEU container vessels with the X-82 solution and of six units of the same capacity with the X-82-DF-M methanol-fueled engines.
Although WinGD has not disclosed the client with whom the contract was signed, the company’s officials have revealed that, in the run-up to the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) meeting in April 2025, the ships’ owner had considered dual-fuel engine designes powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Following the nod of approval of the IMO’s Net Zero Framework, it is understood that the operator re-evaluated their options, opting to instead proceed with a set of methanol-ready units, potentially using biodiesel before conversion.
Speaking about this development, Dominik Schneiter , CEO of WinGD, remarked: “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 decarbonization targets,” he added.
As informed, WinGD’s X-DF-M methanol engine is an expansion of the marine technology player’s dual-fuel X-DF solution, which was initially engineered for LNG. The engine supports bore sizes ranging from 52 mm to 92 mm.
December 2024 tests demonstrated that the 10X92DF‑M unit , which runs on methanol, ran smoothly at full load on over 95% of the alternative fuel, using less than 5% pilot diesel. Officials from WinGD said at the time that the engine showed ‘seamless’ fuel switching at 45% and 75% load, thus clearing the way for scheduled deployment.
As Offshore Energy previously reported, the engine is bound for a series of 16,000 TEU container vessels being constructed for China’s COSCO Shipping Lines at the COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry (Yangzhou) shipyard.
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