WinGD has completed Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) of its first X72DF-A ammonia-fuelled engine, marking another milestone in the development of low-carbon marine propulsion.
The engine will be installed on a 210,000 dwt dry bulk carrier being built for CMB.TECH.
CSSC Engine Co. (CSE) carried out the testing in China. Representatives from Lloyd’s Register (LR), the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and China Classification Society (CCS) witnessed the tests.
The approval follows earlier Fuel Injection Tests (FIT) and Type Approval Tests (TAT) for the X-DF-A platform.
The 72-bore engine was built by CSE, while Sunrui Marine Environmental Engineering Co. supplied the fuel system.
The vessel will be the first of ten ammonia-ready bulk carriers ordered by CMB.TECH.
WinGD said the project demonstrates growing industry confidence in ammonia as a marine fuel for large commercial vessels.
The X-DF-A engine uses high-pressure ammonia injection combined with a pilot fuel dose of around 5% at full load.
According to WinGD, the engine delivers performance comparable to conventional diesel-fuelled X-Engines in both ammonia and diesel operating modes.
The company said the technology can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 90% when operating on ammonia compared with diesel fuel.
Dominik Schneiter, CEO of WinGD, said the successful tests were made possible through close cooperation between technology providers, shipowners and industry partners.
Alexander Saverys, CEO of CMB.TECH, said the achievement represents an important step in shipping’s decarbonisation journey.
WinGD has secured orders for 40 X-DF-A engines across multiple vessel segments, including bulk carriers, tankers, container ships and gas carriers.
The company believes ammonia propulsion will play an increasingly important role as shipowners seek solutions to meet future emissions regulations and net-zero targets.
