Planning Starts on Series of 10 Ammonia Fueled Bulk Carriers

WinGD and CMB.TECH announced plans to collaborate on a fleet of ammonia fuelled bulk carriers. The pair signed an agreement on the development of ammonia-fuelled two-stroke engines, aiming to install the ammonia dual-fuel X72DF engine on a series of ten x 210,000 DWT bulk carriers to be built at a Chinese shipyard in 2025 and 2026.

CMB.TECH will support WinGD in establishing its ammonia-fuelled engine concept for a large bore engine. CMB.TECH has significant insight into alternative fuels and builds, designs, owns and operates large marine and industrial applications that run on hydrogen and ammonia.

When they come to fruition, the series of large bulk carriers powered by WinGD’s ammonia engines will be the first of its kind and proof that large sea-going vessels can be powered by zero-carbon fuels.

These newest engines in WinGD’s X-DF portfolio will add ammonia capability to WinGD’s X engines. They will be based on the X92B engine, whose market-leading fuel efficiency makes it an ideal starting point for developing large bore ammonia-fuelled engines.

The development project with CMB.TECH is one of several projects WinGD is carrying out with shipowners and engine builders to ensure that dual-fuel ammonia two-stroke engines will be available as the global fleet prepares to adopt green fuels to meet long-term decarbonisation targets.

“We believe that ammonia is the most promising zero-carbon fuel for deep sea vessels. Our intention is to have dual-fuel ammonia-diesel engines on our dry bulk vessels, container vessels and chemical tankers. Collaborating with WinGD on the development of the first ammonia-fuelled two-stroke engines for our fleet is a pioneering partnership on the road to zero emissions in shipping," said Alexander Saverys, CEO, CMB. Image courtesy CMB.TECH