WinGD has received type approval for what are said to be the biggest and most powerful LNG-fuelled engines ever built. Class society Bureau Veritas awarded the approval. The first series of the engines is currently being built by China State Shipbuilding Corp  and will power nine ultra-large container ships for CMA CGM.

The type approval for the 12X92DF engines was awarded following a series of extensive full-load tests in diesel and gas operation. The 23,000-TEU vessels on which they will be installed will become the largest container ships powered by LNG.

‘The certification process of WinGD’s 12X92DF engine was a long process due to the size and complexity of the engine,’ says Olivier Cartier, Technical Vice President, Bureau Veritas. ‘We mobilised our worldwide teams of engine specialists, especially in China, in France and in Germany, at each of the critical phases of the certification process. Progressive Type Approval Tests were necessary where at each test significant progress and refinement were noted, so that we remained confident that final certification at 100 per cent of the power using gas as fuel was an achievable objective – and this has now been achieved.’

Otto and Diesel cycle technology

‘With the type approval of our biggest engines to date, we are opening up the possibilities of LNG-fuelled ship propulsion to yet another vessel segment, a testament to its cost-efficiency, reliability and sustainability,’ adds Klaus Heim, WinGD CEO. ‘This is an important step towards the sustainable energy transition within the shipping industry.’

According to Dominik Schneiter, Vice President for Research and Development at WinGD, the X92DF engines ‘outperform expectations for NOx, SOx and PM emissions and with CO2 levels over twenty per cent lower than typical diesel engines. With it’s unique combination of Otto (lean burn) and Diesel cycle technology these engines can adapt for any of the potential sustainable fuels of the future making them a secure asset for a long time to come.’

Picture: WinGD’s dual-fuelled X92DF engine, the first in a series that will power nine ULCS for CMA CGM Group.