Winterthur – WinGD and CMB, Belgian bulk carrier operator, have pushed ahead with the development of ammonia marine engines ordered in January. Now the partners are bringing the Chinese engine manufacturer CSSC Engine and the shipbuilder CSSC Quingdao Beihi Shipbuilding on board.
The Winterthur-based marine engine manufacturer WinGD and two Chinese state-owned companies are to supply ammonia engines for new Newscastlemax bulkers built by the Belgian shipping company CMB.TECH. These had already been commissioned by CMB from WinGD in January 2023. WinGD has now announced a four-party agreement that the two previous partners have concluded with the Chinese shipbuilder CSSC Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding(QBS) and the engine manufacturer CSSC Engine CO(CSE), which is also based in China.
"After rapidly advancing the engine design and ship integration concept with CMB.TECH over the past nine months, the collaboration with the shipyard and the engine manufacturer is a crucial next step," WinGD Managing Director Dominik Schneiter is quoted as saying. According to the CEO of CMB.TECH, Alexander Saverys, this agreement will "help to decarbonize our business and the logistics of our customers".
The order from CMB.TECH is for the development and delivery of large X72DF-A engines for the propulsion of ten bulk carriers, each weighing 210,000 tons. It was announced back in January that this engine series would be built at a Chinese shipyard in 2025 and 2026.
According to WinGD, "the close cooperation and shared responsibility reflected in this agreement" underlines the "groundbreaking nature of the order: the vessels will be the first ammonia-powered bulk carriers, the WinGD engines will be the first of their size for ammonia, and they will be the first to be built in China." ce/mm