WinGD all but ready to roll out ethanol-fueled two-stroke marine engine

Swiss marine power company WinGDis geared up to unveil an ethanol-powered two-stroke engine next year, with deliveries expected to commence in 2027.

According to the officials from the company, the engine is going to be applicable for both newbuildings and for retrofitting projects.

As disclosed, the new solution is to be adapted from WinGD’s X-DF-M methanol-fueled engine that has already been approved by classification societies. The ethanol-powered engine is said to utilize the same combustion concept and is subject to the same safety regulations as the methanol counterpart.

The diesel-cycle concept, available across all bore sizes that the Switzerland-based marine technology provider currently offers, is expected to boast an adapted control system and fuel injector nozzle arrangement to account for the higher energy density that ethanol possesses, as well as for the consequently lower fuel volumes needed.

Per WinGD, this development comes after a decade-long testing of the potential of using ethanol as a fuel to power marine engines.