Swiss marine power company WinGD has reached a landmark moment in the development of zero-carbon marine fuels with the successful sea trials and delivery of ANTWERPEN, to Belgian gas shipowner and infrastructure developer EXMAR. Powered by WinGD’s X52DF-A ammonia-fuelled engine, the vessel is the world’s first ocean-going ship designed to operate on ammonia fuel.
The achievement is the result of a trailblazing collaboration between WinGD, EXMAR, engine builder HD Hyundai Engine Machinery Division (HHI EMD) and shipyard HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. which have worked together to demonstrate ammonia’s viability as a marine fuel for deep-sea shipping. This is the first in a series of four newbuild ammonia dual-fuel midsize gas carriers, for EXMAR, each to be named after a Belgian city.
The ongoing results from real world operation of the ANTWERPEN, a 46,000m³ LPG/ammonia carrier, will help build confidence in ammonia as a future marine fuel. Ammonia is a readily available zero carbon fuel, with low sulphur and particulate emissions, making it a strong contender as a marine fuel. With completion of testing and successful sea trials, the X-DF-A has moved from concept to commercial reality, marking a real landmark in shipping’s decarbonisation journey.
“We are proud to be part of delivering the world’s first ammonia-fuelled ocean-going vessel, a landmark achievement made possible through an intensive and highly collaborative development effort. By bringing together expertise from across the maritime value chain, we have demonstrated that ammonia propulsion can move from concept to commercial reality through safe, reliable and fully automated engine technology.”
Sebastian Hensel
Vice President R&D, WinGD Ltd.
“2026 has been a year of milestones for ammonia as a next-generation marine fuel, from factory and type acceptance testing earlier in January to successful sea trials of the ANTWERPEN in May and now delivery in June. This follows many years of research, extensive testing and rigorous validation to overcome all the technical challenges and deliver a propulsion solution that is not only safe but delivers the emissions cuts this industry needs to meet its 2050 net zero target.”
Sotiris Topaloglou
Global Head of Testing & Validation, WinGD Ltd.
“Ammonia propulsion is no longer theoretical—we are deploying it. Change comes through execution, not debate,” said Carl-Antoine Saverys, Chief Executive Officer of EXMAR Group. “This achievement reflects collective expertise and our commitment to drive sustainable shipping forward.”
“Innovation requires vision, commitment and collaboration across disciplines to do something truly different - this is what WinGD, EXMAR and HHI have achieved with the X52DF-A. With this engine we’re offering shipowners real choice when it comes to investing in the fleet of the future: a safe and efficient dual-fuel engine that ensures compliance with today’s regulatory rules while being fully ready to meet the tighter emissions limits of tomorrow.” Sebastian Hensel of WinGD concluded.
The X-DF-A two-stroke engine features high-pressure ammonia injection supplemented by a low, targeted pilot fuel dose of around five per cent at full load. Type Approval Testing (TAT) and Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) was completed in January 2026 at the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' Engine & Machinery (HHI-EMD) facility in South Korea, witnessed by classification society Lloyd’s Register (LR), together with representatives from all major classification societies, under the supervision of EXMAR. The recent sea trials of the ANTWERPEN in South Korea confirmed that the engine delivers load handling, dynamic response and fuel efficiency on par with WinGD’s equivalent diesel-fuelled X-Engines in both ammonia and diesel operating modes.
With 40 orders for the X-DF-A across multiple vessel segments, including gas and bulk carriers, tankers and container vessels, ammonia is poised to play a significant role in the future fuel mix.
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