Swiss marine power company WinGD and Japanese shipbuilder and technology developer Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. have signed a memorandum of understanding to enter into a partnership on ammonia-fueled vessels.

The project will see WinGD applying its X-DF-A ammonia-fueled engines to a range of vessel designs, with Mitsubishi both designing the vessels and completing the fuel chain with its ammonia fuel supply system (AFSS).

WinGD’s X-DF-A—and its methanol-fueled counterpart X-DF-M—derive their diesel cycle efficiency from WinGD’s X-Engines, including WinGD’s popular X92-B, the leading choice for the ultra large container vessel segment—well known for their high efficiency and reliability.

In 2021, WinGD announced that its engines will be able to run on methanol and ammonia from 2024 and 2025 respectively. Earlier this year, WinGD and CMB.TECH signed an agreement on the development of ammonia-fueled two-storke engines. (Earlier post.)

This collaboration will give both Mitsubishi and WinGD an important first-mover advantage in using ammonia in marine engines to meet IMO decarbonisation targets. It will set the path for the new generation of technology applicable to a wide range of vessels over the next decades.

—Manabu Kawakado, Head of Marine Engineering Center, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding

Under the partnership, WinGD will develop X-DF-A engines at appropriate sizes for the vessel designs, providing Mitsubishi with the specifications for installing the engines and the requirements for all auxiliary fuel systems. Mitsubishi will design the vessels, set performance parameters for the engines and further develop its existing AFSS for use with WinGD’s ammonia engines.

The project will commence in the third quarter of 2023, with a timeline considered that could place vessels in service by 2027.