First ammonia dual-fuel units to be installed on Aframax tankers
A 3D model of two of the world’s first ammonia dual-fuel Aframaxes to be constructed with six-cylinder X62DF-A engines by Dalian Shipbuilding and owned by AET (Source: WinGD)
WinGD has landed a contract for two six-cylinder X-DF-A ammonia-fuelled engines from Singapore-based tanker company AET, a subsidiary of Malaysian International Shipping Corporation. The engines will be the first ammonia dual-fuel units to be installed on Aframax tankers which are to be built at Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co. Ltd.
The contract follows cooperation between the Swiss engine firm and AET on developing clean energy options. In July 2023, the two companies signed an agreement to work together on technology development and crew training together with marine service company ALAM. Ammonia-fuelled engines have been a feature of their collaborative work.
Meanwhile WinGD has focused on developing new safety criteria for the use of ammonia as a marine fuel. The company has secured Approvals in Principle (AiP) from four classification societies – Lloyd’s Register, Bureau Veritas, China Classification Society, and ClassNK.
WinGD’s Volkmar Galke, director Sales, commented: “First adopters of ammonia fuel are signalling confidence in the viability of both the fuel and the technology to use it. We have been working closely with AET since last year to bring this order to reality. This order, backed by our string of AiPs for our safety concepts and fuel supply system design, shows that WinGD is leading the way in bring carbon-free ammonia power to the deep-sea fleet.”
The engine company has already won contracts for X52DF-A engines for ammonia carriers and X72DF-A engines for dry bulk vessels. The 52 and 72-bore units will be delivered next year and could be followed by 62-bore engines from 2026, depending on market demand. The company could then offer engines covering a wide range of ship types, including small tankers, bulk carriers, car carriers and large tankers.
The engines operate according to the Diesel principle in both diesel and ammonia modes. They are available in the same cylinder configurations and rating fields as the company’s diesel-fuelled X-Engine range.
