WinGD has signed a frame agreement with Panasia to upgrade X-DF dual-fuel LNG engines in service with emissions abatement and fuel-efficiency technologies developed by WinGD, the company said in a news release.
The agreement, concluded during Kormarine 2025, is aimed at helping ship operators reduce exposure to maritime carbon pricing and extend the competitiveness of existing vessels.
Panasia, already operating as a system integrator for several shipyards, will apply its technical capabilities and knowledge of vessel configurations to support timely and cost-effective retrofit projects.
The cooperation is intended to improve returns on investment through lower fuel consumption and reduced emissions penalties. WinGD will contribute expertise as the original designer of the continuously developed engine platform. Drawing on its supplier and project-partner network, the company plans to provide fuel conversions and energy-efficiency upgrades intended to improve efficiency, reduce emissions and optimise operational costs.
WinGD Head of Retrofit & Upgrade Solutions René Baart said: “Korea has been the biggest market for X-DF engines since they were introduced in 2016. It was therefore natural that we start here as we aim to upgrade our installed base to the latest efficient technologies. We are delighted to have found a partner, in Panasia, with so much expertise in the equipment and system integration of both Chinese and Korean built vessels.”
Initial work under the partnership will focus on enabling installed X-DF engines to match the fuel consumption, emissions and methane-slip performance of WinGD’s latest newbuild engines. Retrofit options include intelligent control by exhaust recycling (iCER) and variable compression ratio (VCR) technology, converting X-DF engines to X-DF2.0 engines. iCER improves combustion stability when using LNG by recycling exhaust gas, while VCR automatically adjusts compression ratio based on fuel type and engine load to increase fuel efficiency. Combined, the two technologies can reduce methane slip to around 0.7% of fuel-gas volume, described as more than a twofold reduction compared with first-generation X-DF engines. Lower methane slip and reduced fuel consumption are expected to cut compliance costs under European and proposed IMO regulations.
The companies said they are already discussing retrofits with multiple shipowners. WinGD has previously completed the first retrofit of its VCR technology on a CMA CGM vessel, with initial results presented at the CIMAC World Congress in June.
WinGD is a Swiss marine power company headquartered in Winterthur. It specialises in two-stroke low-speed engines and develops technologies in emissions reduction, fuel efficiency, hybridisation and digital optimisation. The company provides lifecycle engine support under its Global Service by WinGD organisation. Its origins trace back to the Sulzer Diesel Engine business founded in 1893. Wärtsilä Services Switzerland Ltd acts as an authorised global service provider for WinGD.
Panasia is described as a marine technology developer and system integrator working with several shipyards. Its activities include integration of equipment and systems on various vessel types, as well as retrofit projects such as ballast-water treatment systems and scrubbers for existing ships.
