China State Shipbuilding Corporation’s subsidiary, WinGD (Winterthur Gas & Diesel), recently achieved a significant milestone: the “ANTWERPEN” vessel, equipped with a WinGD 6X52DF-A ammonia-fueled main engine, completed sea trials and was successfully delivered. The owner is Belgian gas transporter and infrastructure developer EXMAR. “ANTWERPEN” is the world’s first ocean-going vessel specifically designed to use ammonia as propulsion fuel.
This achievement was driven by the collaborative efforts of WinGD, EXMAR, Hyundai Heavy Industries Engine Machinery (HHI EMD), and shipyard HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI), jointly validating the feasibility of ammonia fuel in deep-sea shipping. “ANTWERPEN” is the first of four ammonia dual-fuel medium-sized gas carriers ordered by EXMAR, each vessel to be named after a Belgian city.
The vessel is a 46,000 cubic meter ammonia carrier. Data accumulated during actual operations will further enhance the industry’s confidence in ammonia as a future marine fuel. Ammonia has a wide range of sources, outstanding zero-carbon attributes, and extremely low sulfur and particulate matter emissions, making it highly competitive among various alternative fuel options. With the completion of testing and successful sea trials, X-DF-A has officially transitioned from concept to commercial application, becoming a true milestone in the shipping industry’s decarbonization process.
Sebastian Hensel, Vice President of R&D at WinGD, stated: “We are honored to participate in the delivery of the world’s first ammonia-fueled ocean-going vessel. This achievement is the result of deep collaboration across the entire shipping value chain, proving that ammonia propulsion technology can fully move from concept to commercial application, achieving safe, reliable, and fully automated engineering practice.”
Sotiris Topaloglou, Global Director of Testing and Validation at WinGD, stated: “2026 is a milestone year for ammonia fuel as the next-generation marine energy source—from completing factory and type approval tests in January, to the ‘ANTWERPEN’ completing sea trials in May, and official delivery in June. Behind this are years of continuous research, extensive testing, and rigorous validation, overcoming technical challenges one by one, ultimately delivering a propulsion solution that is both safe and reliable, and truly capable of reducing emissions, helping the shipping industry move towards its 2050 net-zero target.”
Carl-Antoine Saverys, CEO of the EXMAR Group, stated: “Ammonia propulsion is no longer theoretical—we are deploying it. Change comes from action, not discussion. This achievement reflects the professional expertise of all parties and underscores our firm commitment to promoting sustainable shipping.”
Sebastian Hensel further added: “True innovation requires cross-disciplinary collaboration and foresight. The X52DF-A provides shipowners with a practical choice—a safe and efficient dual-fuel engine that meets current compliance requirements and is also prepared for future stricter emission limits.”
On the technical level, the X-DF-A is a two-stroke engine employing high-pressure ammonia direct injection technology, with a pilot fuel consumption of approximately 5% at rated load. In January 2026, this engine type completed Type Approval Testing (TAT) and Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) at the HHI-EMD factory in South Korea, witnessed by representatives from Lloyd’s Register (LR) and several major classification societies, with the entire process conducted under the supervision of EXMAR. The sea trial results indicate that, whether in ammonia fuel or diesel mode, the engine’s load response, dynamic performance, and fuel efficiency are consistent with WinGD’s same-specification diesel X-series main engines.
Currently, the X-DF-A has accumulated 40 orders across various vessel types including gas carriers, bulk carriers, tankers, and container ships, highlighting the increasingly prominent position of ammonia fuel in the future marine energy structure.
