Going into the extraordinary session of IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee in mid-October, many in the industry had high hopes that the Net Zero Framework (NZF) would be adopted. WinGD was and remains one of the believers; incentivising the production and uptake of clean fuels is the only way to meet both IMO emissions ambitions and wider global climate targets.

The partnership, agreed during Nor-Shipping in June, will strengthen delivery of WinGD’s new lifecycle services offer, Global Service by WinGD, to Middle Eastern ship operators by enhancing regional capabilities in engine maintenance, repair, overhaul, and retrofitting.

Swiss marine power company WinGD will offer the first ethanol-fuelled two-stroke marine engine next year, with deliveries for newbuild and retrofit applications starting in 2027. The announcement follows a decade of investigation into ethanol fuel—including full-scale engine tests in 2018—and the successful launch of a methanol-fuelled engine that uses the same combustion concept and is subject to the same safety regulations as the new ethanol engine.

As waves of regulation make onboard energy more expensive, shipowners face significant decisions about how to stay competitive and compliant. A well-planned and supported retrofit can add many profitable years of compliant operation to the existing fleet - without the newbuild price tag.

IMO’s Net Zero Framework could bring higher penalties for shipowners even if they use solutions that consume less fuel and emit fewer greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than alternatives.