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QatarEnergy’s LNG ambitions boost WinGD engine orders

Written by Nick Blenkey
WinGD comments on engines for QatarEnergy

Volkmar Galke, director, global sales, at WinGD: “Owners and operators are seeking fuel flexibility without compromising efficiency, emissions or CAPEX.”

With the U.S. emerging as the world’s leading exporter of LNG in the first half of this year, QatarEnergy today took another slice of the American LNG pie. It announced an agreement with ExxonMobil that will see both companies independently offtake and market their respective proportionate equity shares of LNG produced by the Golden Pass LNG Export Project in Sabine Pass, Texas. Under the agreement, QatarEnergy Trading LLC will offtake, transport, and trade 70% of the LNG produced by Golden Pass. Construction of the project, which has a total annual production capacity of 18 million tons of LNG , is well underway with first LNG production expected by the end of 2024.

One of the beneficiaries of QatarEnergy’s LNG ambitions is Winterthur, Switzerland, based WinGD. QatarEnergy has secured approximately 60% of global LNG shipbuilding capacity through 2027 to cater for its growing LNG carrier fleet requirements, which could reach more than 100 new vessels. A wide range of ship owners have tendered to build gas carriers that will be operated under long-term charters to QatarEnergy. The vessels will be delivered between 2023 and 2027.

WinGD’s latest generation of X72DF-2.1 engines have already been selected to power 25 of those vessels. The 50 dual-fuel engines were selected by multiple shipyards and shipowners and feature the new on-engine configuration of WinGD’s iCER (intelligent control by exhaust recycling) solution. Released in May of this year, on-engine iCER and has been met with swift uptake, providing improved fuel efficiency in both gas and diesel modes and, according to WinGD a 50% reduction in methane slip compared to the first-generation X-DF.

One order under the Qatar program is for two 174,000 cubic meter LNG carriers to be built for TMS Cardiff Gas at Korean shipyard Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME). The two will be the first ships built by DSME to feature on-engine iCER.

“This huge order intake with on-engine iCER technology shows the need for proven and reliable dual-fuel engines as the LNG carrier ordering surge continues,” said Volkmar Galke, director, global sales, at WinGD. “Owners and operators are seeking fuel flexibility without compromising efficiency, emissions or CAPEX. And the fact that all have chosen our latest compact, cost-saving configuration confirms that WinGD delivers the best possible solution to customers, giving them confidence in their investment for today and for the future.”

iCER is attractive for ships serving QatarEnergy
The addition of iCER delivers a 50% reduction of methane slip on X-DF engines operating in gas mode.
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