Swiss marine power company WinGD has passed a factory acceptance test for its X72DF-A ammonia engine, designed for large cargo ships. The dual-fuel engine uses high-pressure ammonia with a small amount of pilot fuel and achieved over 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to diesel mode during testing. The engine will be installed on ten 210,000 dwt bulk carriers ordered by Belgian group CMB.TECH. Ammonia contains no carbon, so burning it does not directly produce CO2. But the fuel is toxic and corrosive, requiring careful handling and crew training. Safety approvals from Lloyd's Register and other classification societies were part of the project. The bigger challenge is that over 70% of ammonia today is made from fossil gas or coal, so the climate benefit depends on producing low-carbon ammonia at scale. The IMO targets net-zero shipping emissions by 2050 and wants zero-emission fuels to reach 5-10% of shipping energy by 2030. WinGD already has orders for 40 ammonia engines across different vessel types. This test shows the engine technology is real, but the fuel supply network and port infrastructure still need to catch up.
