Vale’s ethanol-fueled Guabalmax duo will have WinGD engines

WinGD’s first ethanol-fuelled X-DF-M/E engines have been selected for two Guabalmax ore carriers ordered by Shandong Shipping Corporation and chartered long-term to Vale. [Image: CSDC (China Ship Design & Research Center]

Swiss-headquartered engine developer WinGD reports that its first ethanol-fueled X-DF-M/E engines have been ordered for the two 325,000 dwt Guabalmax ore carriers to be built for China’s Shandong Shipping Corporation to operate under long-term charters for Brazil mining giant Vale.

To built in China by Beihai Shipbuilding, each be powered by a six-cylinder, 820 mm-bore 6X82DF-M/E engine intended to run primarily on ethanol fuel.

The engines will be the first of the X-DF-M/E platform optimized for primarily ethanol use. The fuel supply and injection pressure will be modified from WinGD’s methanol-fueled engine concept to account for the difference in energy density between the two fuels, which otherwise share very similar properties and combustion characteristics. The contract includes options for further engine deliveries should the vessel series be extended.

“These first ethanol-fueled X-DF-M/E engines build on more than a decade of intensive investigation into alcohol fuels including ethanol and methanol,” said Volkmar Galke, WinGD’s executive director sales. “Securing orders for a top-tier charterer and ship operator is the best possible validation of those efforts. This is a clear signal that the shipboard technology and fuel infrastructure around ethanol as a marine fuel are ready, giving confidence to others considering ethanol as an option for maritime decarbonization.”

Ethanol is gaining attention as a ship fuel due to its widespread and cost-competitive availability in several markets. These include Brazil, from where the vessels will deliver iron ore to China. According to Vale’s own investigations, the use of ethanol can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by around 90% compared with heavy fuel oil, depending on the fuel type and lifecycle assumptions.

Rodrigo Bermelho, Vale’s director of shipping, said: “The adoption of ethanol as an alternative fuel is part of Vale’s strategy to combine flexibility and efficiency in the ships that transport our ore and places the company in a unique position for the energy transition in global shipping over the coming decades, whilst driving similar initiatives in the sector. We are pleased to partner with Shandong and WinGD on the world’s first newbuilding order for ethanol-fueled ocean-going vessels.”

With the addition of ethanol-fuel capability for its X-DF-M/E platform, WinGD now offers fuel flexibility across Diesel-cycle two-stroke engines. X-DF-M/E, alongside the ammonia-fueled X-DF-A and high-pressure LNG-fueled X-DF-HP platforms. WinGD notes that all are based on the same engine architecture and injection concept – ensuring efficient conversion capability that does not lock owners into a single fuel option.

The engine deliveries are scheduled to take place in early 2029 depending on shipyard requirements.