Winterthur Gas & Diesel (WinGD) has received an order to deliver methanol engines for Cosco Shipping Lines boxships.
The company will deliver the 10X92DF-M methanol-fuelled engines to four 16,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) container ships, which will be constructed at Cosco Shipping Heavy Industry (Yangzhou).
Slated to begin delivery in 2025, the ships are claimed to incorporate the first WinGD X92DF-M engines in China.
The new engines are being jointly developed by CSSC CMD and WinGD. They are based on the X92-B engine, which has already been used by companies that include COSCO Shipping Lines, CMA CGM and MSC.
The fourth ship in the series will be the first to be installed with methanol engines from the beginning. The earlier vessels will initially feature methanol-ready X92-B engines, which will be transformed for methanol before entering service, stated WinGD.
The order will allow WinGD to advance its timeline for developing conversion packages for methanol-fuelled engines.
Upon delivery of the fourth vessel in the series, the company will launch a methanol package for the X92-B engine.
WinGD R&D president Dominik Schneiter said: “Utilising 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.
“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.”
Earlier this year, WinGD teamed up with the shipping and cleantech arm of Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB), CMB.TECH, to jointly develop ammonia-fuelled two-stroke engines.
