The Norwegian shipping company Höegh Liners is currently building four new car carriers. They will be powered by ammonia engines so that they can operate with low emissions in future. These are being supplied by the Augsburg-based company Everllence.
Everllence will supply four 7S60ME-LGIA (Liquid Gas Injection Ammonia) dual-fuel engines to an undisclosed shipyard in Asia. They will be built at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea. The four Pure /Truck Carriers (PCTCs) of the “Aurora” class will each have a capacity of 9,100 CEU (Car Equivalent Unit).
Sebjørn Dahl, Chief Operations Officer, Höegh Autoliners, says: “The engines are at the heart of our vessels and we see it as a clear sign of confidence that Everllence has chosen us to install some of the world’s first two-stroke ammonia engines in the four Aurora class vessels. Höegh Autoliners has almost 100 years of experience and is proud to be one of the first companies selected to pioneer this important change together with Everllence. This collaboration underlines the trust that Everllence has placed in us as a reliable pioneer in the transition to zero-emission shipping. Net zero is the common goal and Everllence is playing a crucial role in ensuring that we can operate our large PCTC vessels on zero-carbon fuels from 2027.”
Everllence is working on further ammonia projects in Asia
According to Everllence, this order is one of several ammonia pilot projects that the company is carrying out in China, Japan and South Korea. Due to the particular risk profile of ammonia, a responsible approach was taken in the development of this engine, with safety as the top priority. According to the engine manufacturer, it is confident that ammonia will become one of the three most important alternative fuels on the market alongside methanol and methane.
The two-stroke ammonia engine has now been in use since 2023, it adds. The concept of the ME-LGIA engine is based on the diesel principle. Inspired by dual fuel engines, Everllence uses the same sealing oil concept for the FBIV injection valves, as this has proven to be “particularly important and efficient”. For the time being, Ereverllence expects to have a few demo projects on the water by the end of 2026 to enable a commercial launch of the ME-LGIA engines with G50, S60, G60, G70 and G80 bore based on positive operating experience.
