Winterthur/Shanghai – Winterthur Gas & Diesel Ltd (WinGD) will supply carbon-neutral methanol engines for four container ships of COSCO SHIPPING Lines in China. They will be installed in the first methanol-fueled container ships to be built in China.
WinGD will supply methanol engines for four new 20-foot ISO container ships of COSCO SHIPPING Lines. The engines from the Winterthur-based marine engine developer will be provided by engine builder CSSC CMD in Shanghai, which is developing the engines jointly with WinGD, according to a media release.
According to the statement, the companies signed this “groundbreaking contract” at a ceremony at CMD on March 23. The four ships will be among the first methanol-fueled container ships built in China. They reportedly represent a significant investment in China’s green transformation strategy. Methanol is a carbon-neutral fuel and is therefore considered climate-neutral.
The ships will be built by COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry (Yangzhou) Co. Ltd. and are scheduled for delivery from 2025. The first three ships will receive the methanol-capable X92-B engine. It has long been used by leading container ship owners such as COSCO SHIPPING Lines, MSC and CMA CGM. These three engines will be converted to methanol only prior to startup.
The 10X92DF-M methanol engine, which only the fourth ship will receive immediately, is based on its technology. This will make it the first “to be equipped with methanol engines from the start.”
Once the fourth vessel in the series is delivered, WinGD plans to launch a methanol package for the X92-B engine, according to Dominik Schneiter, vice president R&D at WinGD: “The order from COSCO SHIPPING Lines is an ideal step that will help us strengthen our expertise in both newbuildings and methanol engine conversions based on our proven X92-B platform.” ko
