WinGD supplying methanol-fuelled engines

WinGD will supply 10X92DF-M methanol-fuelled engines to four container vessels to be built for COSCO SHIPPING Lines at COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry (Yangzhou) Co. Ltd.

These vessels will be delivered beginning in 2025 and will feature WinGD’s first X92DF-M engines in China. The methanol engines will be delivered from engine builder CSSC CMD in Shanghai, which is jointly developing the engines with WinGD. The fourth vessel in the series will be the first to have methanol engines installed originally. The earlier vessels will initially have methanol-ready X92-B engines installed and will be converted for methanol before entering service.

WinGD to supply 10X92DF-M methanol-fuelled engines to four 16,000 TEU container vessels to be built for COSCO Shipping Lines at COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry (Yangzhou) Co. (Image: WinGD)

These vessels will be among the first methanol-fuelled container vessels to be built in China and represent a significant investment in China’s green transformation strategy, WinGD said.

The X92DF-M engines will be based on the widely used X92-B engine, which has long been deployed by leading containership owners including COSCO SHIPPING Lines, MSC and CMA CGM.

The order enables WinGD to advance its timeline for developing conversion packages for methanol-fuelled engines. WinGD will introduce a methanol package for the X92-B engine as soon as the fourth vessel in the series is delivered – opening the market for existing vessels with X92-B engines to be converted to use the carbon-neutral fuel.

“Utilizing WinGD’s engine development capabilities jointly with partners serving the world’s biggest shipbuilding market allows us to better support shipowners, as demand for methanol-fuelled container vessels rapidly grows,” said Dominik Schneiter, Vice President R&D, WinGD. “The COSCO SHIPPING Lines order is an ideal move, helping us to strengthen our expertise in both newbuilds and conversions of methanol engines based on our well-established X92-B platform which has proven to be a very reliable and efficient engine.

In parallel, WinGD is developing ammonia-fuelled engines as part of its commitment to help shipowners prepare for the availability of green fuels.