More orders for WinGD X-DF-A ammonia marine engine

X52-DF-A-1.0 engine (Photo: WinGD)

Swiss marine power company WinGD has secured further orders for its ammonia-fuel X‑DF‑A engine.

The engines, which will be built at Yuchai Marine Power in China, will be delivered for a total of seven 25,000 and 41,000 cubic metre LPG/ammonia carriers ordered by Tianjin Southwest Shipping.

The vessels will deploy six-cylinder versions of the 52-bore X‑DF‑A engines and are scheduled to enter service from Q3 2026.

The X52-DF-A-1.0 engine has a cylinder bore diameter of 520 mm and a piston stroke of 2,315 mm. The engine is available in five- to eight-cylinder configurations delivering a power range from 5,100 to 14,480 kW at 79 to 105 rpm

The orders will be built by Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding, a shipyard with strong experience in the construction of small- and medium-sized gas carriers.

WinGD director, Sales, Volkmar Galke, said: “The demand for gas carriers is growing rapidly as the central role of ammonia in the hydrogen economy is becoming clear. WinGD has already reported multiple orders of its new X‑DF‑A engine in this segment and these new orders – a result of our strong relationships in the Chinese shipping market – further the transition towards a sustainable shipping industry that can operate on the zero-carbon energy sources it carries.”

WinGD has been developing its X-DF-A ammonia technology since 2019. The concept has been granted approvals in principle from several leading classification societies, giving ship operators the assurances they need to deploy them safely.

WinGD has secured about 30 orders to date for ammonia-fuelled X-DF-A engines, with sizes ranging from 52- to 72-bore, for vessels including bulk carriers, gas carriers, container vessels and oil tankers.

The first engines are set to enter service in 2026.