WinGD has won a contract that will give Polaris Shipping true fuel flexibility for its future Newcastlemax fleet with an order of four X72DF-M-1.0 engines that can operate on methanol and ethanol. The ability to operate on either fuel gives Polaris Shipping greater flexibility to respond to changes in fuel availability, pricing and regulatory requirements over the vessels' operating lives and is a key benefit of WinGD’s innovative alcohol-fuel engine platform.

Retrofitting for alternative fuels could help ship operators reach net-zero emissions cost-effectively, but further policy support is needed to strengthen the business case and ensure maritime decarbonisation targets are met. That is the key finding from the latest Fuel Economics Report published by WinGD.

When one of the world’s biggest dry bulk charterers backs a new alternative fuel type, the industry takes notice. But to anyone paying attention over the past decade, the emergence of ethanol as a viable marine fuel will have been no surprise even before Shandong Shipping’s order in May for the world’s first ethanol-fuelled two-stroke engines - underwritten by a long-term charter to global mining giant Vale.

Renewable fuels with zero or near-zero (ZNZ) emissions may seem a distant and expensive prospect for many ship operators. A recent report from WinGD and Envision shows how fast that could change, writes Fabio Cococcetta, Product Manager – Engines.

WinGD has secured an order to supply main engines for a series of 12 Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) being built at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, China, for Dynacom, supporting the delivery of a new generation of efficient, reliable and regulation-ready tanker tonnage.