WinGD and CMB TECH to develop large dual-fuel ammonia engine together

Belgian shipping group CMB.TECH has signed an agreement with Swiss engine maker WinGD to develop a “first of its kind” dual-fuel ammonia engine for dry bulkers.

PHOTO: Model of a bulk carrier powered by ammonia. CMB.TECH

The firms are looking to prove ammonia’s feasibility as a fuel with zero-emission potential for long-haul shipping.

CMB.TECH said it will support WinGD, which will develop and build the dual-fuel ammonia engine. The new engine will run on diesel until ammonia is available as a marine fuel, and CMB.TECH will install it on a series of 10 newcastlemax dry bulk carriers that it has on order to be built in a Chinese shipyard in 2025 and 2026.

“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,” CMB.TECH said in a statement.

Ammonia is made by combining hydrogen with nitrogen, and can have zero greenhouse gas emissions if it is produced with renewable energy (green) or with carbon capture (blue). Several shipowners have been exploring ammonia as an alternative fuel, and engine manufacturers like WinGD, Wartsila and MAN Energy Solutions are developing ship engines.

CMB.TECH, which is part of the Belgian shipping family Saverys’ CMB Group, has so far placed orders for 20 newcastlemax bulkers with 210,000 dwt capacity each. These will be so-called ammonia-ready, which means that while they will not be capable of running on ammonia by default, they can be retrofitted to consume ammonia in the future.

By Debarati Bhattacharjee

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