Swiss marine power specialist WinGD reports that it has concluded trials of the first commercial version of its 10X92DF-M engine – part of its new methanol-compatible X-DF-M engine series.
The 10X92DF-M was run at full load, on more than 95% methanol fuel, on a testbed at CSSC-MES Diesel (CMD) in Shanghai in mid-December. Sebastian Hensel, WinGD VP for R&D, comments: “After validating the methanol technology on our 920mm-bore single-cylinder test engine, the 10X92DF-M is running smoothly at full load and according to our expectations.”
The engine reportedly ran with less than 5% pilot fuel and minimal pilot fuel injector opening times, and with CMD reporting “excellent engine conditions” after the tests. WinGD adds: “The trip function to diesel fuel and switching to methanol, at 45% and 75% engine load, were also tested.”
The new 10-cylinder engine will be supplied to the fourth of a series of 16,000teu container vessels currently being built by China’s COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry (Yangzhou) for affiliate operator COSCO Shipping Lines. These four vessels were originally ordered in 2021 as conventionally fuelled newbuilds, though COSCO has since declared an interest in incorporating methanol power into its fleet’s operations. For example, in 2023, the company partnered with State Power Investment Corp and Shanghai International Port Group to invest in a facility to produce bio-methanol as a marine fuel. According to reports, this plant, located in Jilin province, is expected to produce 200,000tonnes of methanol annually from Q4 2026.
WinGD adds that the current single-fuel 10X92-B engine units installed on the earlier three container ships in the series will be converted to run on methanol after the fourth ship engine installation has been commissioned.
