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ENGINE Explainer: Methanol- and ammonia-fuelled engines for VLCCs

Two-stroke dual-fuel methanol engines have already hit the market, while the first ammonia engine for a VLCC could be launched by Wartsila in 2025 at the earliest.

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Methanol has a leg up on ammonia in engine readiness for very large crude carriers (VLCCs). Two-stroke dual-fuel methanol engines have already hit the market, while the first ammonia engine for a VLCC could be launched by Wartsila in 2025 at the earliest.

Ships require purpose-built engines to run on alternative marine fuels like ammonia and methanol. Engine components, piping and control systems need to be modified depending on the fuel type. In response, engine manufacturers like Winterthur Gas & Diesel (WinGD), Wärtsilä, MAN Energy Solutions (MAN ES) and Rolls-Royce are developing internal combustion engines specifically tailored to run on ammonia or methanol.

However, engine sizes vary depending on vessel types and sizes. Methanol- and ammonia-fuelled engines are already available for container ships, but not for very large crude carriers (VLCCs), which are oil tankers with capacities of 300,000-320,000 dwt.

Marine engine manufacturers MAN ES and Wärtsilä have talked to ENGINE and shared insights into what it takes to develop and build methanol- and ammonia-fuelled engines for VLCCs.

Methanol in the lead…

Among the low-emission alternative fuels that can power VLCCs, methanol comes out on top.

Dual-fuel methanol-powered engines are already available for VLCCs, said MAN ES’ technical promotion manager Rasmus Holm Bidstrup. “We design our engines according to the demand we see in the market, and we see a big demand for G80-LGIM engines which are applicable for 5-10.000 TEU container vessels, VLCCs and VLOCs [very large ore carriers],” he added.

However, he stressed that MAN ES does not currently have any orders for VLCCs with methanol-fuelled engines.

Meanwhile, Sangram Nanda, general manager of product management and engineering at Wärtsilä told ENGINE that “VLCCs in service powered by Wärtsilä/WinGD low-speed 2-stroke engines will have a methanol retrofit solution available end of 2024.”

AET tanker ENGINE

… but ammonia could be around the corner

On the flip side, while both MAN ES and Wärtsilä are developing ammonia- concepts for VLCC engines, neither has announced commercial release dates, maintaining the air of mystery around ammonia to power large crude carriers.

Wärtsilä is working on a project called “Ammonia 2-4” along with classification society DNV, Mediterranean Shipping Company and the National Research Council of Italy. The project partners are developing a lab-based demonstrator for two-stroke marine engines running on ammonia fuel. The lab-based test engine will be followed by a vessel retrofit for the two-stroke version by 2025.

Wärtsilä Marine Power’s director of sustainable fuels and decarbonisation, Mikael Wideskog confirmed that “the first field trials with ammonia are planned on a large container vessel for first quarter of 2025.”

While MAN ES could not share the exact timeline of the ammonia-fuelled engine’s commercial launch, Bidstrup did disclose that “the first MAN B&W two-stroke ammonia-fuelled engine will be a 60 cm-bore engine, which is not applicable for VLCCs,” adding that “the second ammonia engine bore size will be announced once the first commercial 60 cm-bore ammonia engine design has been tested and verified in 2024.”

MAN ES is also part of a project called the Castor Initiative with Singapore-based shipping company AET Tankers. This project aims to launch dual-fuel ammonia VLCCs into the market by late 2025 and early 2026.

Wartsilla ENGINE

Lack of demand = lack of supply

In both cases, the engine manufacturers argued that lacking demand has been a significant factor in holding back the commercial availability of methanol and ammonia engines for large ships like VLCCs.

The German engine-maker is currently not seeing “a big demand” for methanol-powered VLCCs, said Bidstrup, adding that today’s demand for methanol-powered tankers is focussed around medium-range (MR) and long-range 1 (LR1) tankers.

MR tankers transport refined petroleum products over “relatively shorter distances” and can carry 190,000-345,000 bbls of motor gasoline, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). LR1 class ships carry both refined products and crude oil over long distances. They can transport 345,000-615,000 bbls of gasoline or 310,000-550,000 bbls of light sweet crude oil.

“The first 80-bore methanol engines will go into operation in 2025, however, our G95-methanol engines will enter service already in Q1 [first quarter] of 2024. As such, we will obtain important service experience from that engine before the 80-bore variants enter service,” noted Bidstrup.

Meanwhile, Wärtsilä’s Nanda forecast demand for methanol-powered engines for VLCCs and other large product tankers to “pick up from 2025.”

One size does not fit all

VLCCs have very different engines than container ships – they are typically powered by large two-stroke engines which typically are “820 mm [82 cm] bore low-speed engines,” explained Wärtsilä’s Wideskog.

Adding to that, MAN ES’ Bidstrup emphasised that the bore size of an engine is “the diameter of the piston measured in cm. They offer different outputs and rpm [revolutions-per-minute] ranges, and each bore size is applicable for specific vessel types and sizes.”

While engine specifications differ, developing engines for specific bore variants – or vessels – is not necessarily a herculean task for engine manufacturers. The only thing standing in the way is market demand for each engine.

Bidstrup explained that their new dual-fuel engines are designed to be applied across the vast majority of bore sizes but “the design of a specific dual-fuel type in a specific bore-size is subject to the market potential for each of these bore sizes.”

“When retrofitting, the engine will be converted into a dual fuel engine and there the cost and time consumption of the engine part of the retrofit will be lower if an exact similar version is already tried and tested,” he concluded.

By Konica Bhatt and Erik Hoffmann

 

Source: ENGINE
Photo credit: ENGINE / MAN ES/ AET Tankers/ Wärtsilä
Published: 29 May, 2023

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Methanol

World Fuel and partners complete first green methanol bunkering of car carrier in Shanghai

Operation involved the delivery of approximately 2,800 MT of green methanol to “Arctic Tern” via a ship-to-ship transfer using SIPG Energy’s dedicated methanol bunkering vessel “M/V Hai Gang Zhi Yuan”.

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World Fuel and partners complete first green methanol bunkering of car carrier in Shanghai

Marine fuel provider World Fuel on Tuesday (21 July) said it successfully completed the first green methanol bunkering of M/V Arctic Tern, with EUKOR Car Carriers and SIPG Energy at the Port of Shanghai. 

Arctic Tern is the first vessel in the new Shaper Class series of car carriers. 

The operation involved the delivery of approximately 2,800 MT of green methanol to Arctic Tern via a ship-to-ship transfer using SIPG Energy’s dedicated methanol bunkering vessel M/V Hai Gang Zhi Yuan, the largest vessel of its kind in operation. 

The bunkering operation was carried out at Haitong Terminal, Waigaoqiao Port Area, Shanghai Port, with cargo handling operations conducted simultaneously during bunkering.

This marks EUKOR Car Carriers’ first green methanol operation and the first time Arctic Tern has bunkered methanol since its delivery on 9 July. The operation marked the first bunkering at Shanghai Port of green methanol produced locally in Shanghai for an international PCTC operator. 

It also demonstrated the city’s integrated green methanol value chain, spanning local production, storage and bunkering, and established a replicable “Shanghai Model” for green methanol supply.

World Fuel arranged the supply and delivery of the fuel on behalf of EUKOR Car Carriers, working with SIPG Energy as the physical supplier at the Port of Shanghai.

The green methanol supplied was produced from municipal solid waste, ISCC-EU certified, and had a carbon intensity value below 25 gCO₂e/MJ.

Arctic Tern is the first of fourteen Shaper Class vessels ordered by Wallenius Wilhelmsen. With a capacity of 9,300 car equivalent units and methanol dual-fuel capability, the vessel will be operated by EUKOR Car Carriers, jointly owned by Wallenius Wilhelmsen and Hyundai Motor Group. Following her first green methanol bunkering, Arctic Tern will continue her maiden voyage from Asia to Europe.

Xavier Leroi, COO Shipping Services at Wallenius Wilhelmsen and CEO of EUKOR Car Carriers, said: “Completing Arctic Tern’s first green methanol bunkering shortly after delivery is a significant milestone towards our decarbonisation ambition for both EUKOR Car Carriers and Wallenius Wilhelmsen. It demonstrates how investments in next-generation vessel technology and fuel flexibility are being translated into real-world operations. 

“This achievement reflects the strong collaboration between all parties involved. Together, we have shown how partnerships across the maritime value chain can help make lower-emission fuels available and operationally viable at scale.”

Mark Tamsitt, SVP Global Marine Sales at World Fuel, said, “The first bunkering event with a new fuel is a significant moment for any shipowner, and our role is to make it as seamless as possible. By connecting EUKOR Car Carriers with SIPG Energy’s proven green methanol capability at the Port of Shanghai, we were able to deliver on reliable supply, fuel quality, and safe processes. As more of our customers bring methanol dual-fuel tonnage into service, we are committed to being the partner that makes these kinds of operations routine.”

Mr. Zhang Da, General Manager of SIPG Energy, said, “Welcoming Arctic Tern to the Port of Shanghai for her first green methanol bunkering demonstrates the strength and maturity of our supply capability. Building on our well-established methanol ship-to-ship bunkering services for container vessels, we have already extended such services to pure car and truck carriers (PCTCs). This bunkering sets a new record for the largest single SIMOPs green methanol bunkering for PCTCs in China, marking another step in building Shanghai’s position as a global green energy hub for international shipping.”

This operation follows Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s announcement on 9 July that Arctic Tern would complete her first methanol bunkering shortly after delivery. The vessel entered service on routes between Asia and Europe immediately following handover from China Merchants Jinling Shipyard in Nanjing.

 

Photo credit: World Fuel
Published: 22 July, 2026

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Ammonia

HPA and MB Energy develop safety concept for STS ammonia bunkering

HPA says the Port of Hamburg will become “bunker ready” for ammonia, laying the groundwork for safe and reliable ammonia bunkering in the future.

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HPA and MB Energy develop safety concept for STS ammonia bunkering

The Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) and integrated energy company MB Energy on Tuesday (21 July) said they have completed a comprehensive risk analysis and developed a dedicated safety concept for ship-to-ship ammonia bunkering.

MB Energy said the analysis lays the groundwork for the safe introduction of ammonia as a future marine fuel.

“With our planned ammonia import terminal in Hamburg-Blumensand, MB Energy intends to provide the reliable land side supply infrastructure needed to support this transition across northern German ports,” it said in a social media post. 

Mabanaft Group was renamed to MB Energy last year and merged over 50 existing brands under one identity. 

Separately, HPA said the Port of Hamburg will become “bunker ready” for ammonia, laying the groundwork for safe and reliable ammonia bunkering in the future.

“The focus is in particular on container ships, cruise ships as well as RoRo and ConRo (Container/RoRo) ships,” it said. 

“We expect ammonia to establish itself as an alternative marine marine fuel in the coming years. With our preparatory work, we are already creating the conditions to welcome the first ammonia-powered ships in Hamburg and to bunker them safely.:

HPA added that the import terminal for ammonia planned by MB Energy from 2029 will make a decisive contribution to ensuring the reliable availability of ammonia as a bunker fuel in northern German ports in the long term. 

“The use of an ammonia bunker barge is considered a possible addition to the landside infrastructure to enable ship bunkering in the port and beyond in the future,” it said.

Related: Mabanaft Group renames as MB Energy, merging over 50 brands under one identity

 

Photo credit: Hamburg Port Authority
Published: 22 July, 2026

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LNG Bunkering

PIL’s LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elok” arrives in Singapore on maiden call

As the first of 13 new 13,000 TEU vessels joining its fleet, Kota Elok is equipped to operate on LNG and low-sulphur fuel oil that helps reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

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PIL's LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elok” arrives in Singapore on maiden call

Singapore-based Pacific International Lines Pte Ltd on Monday (20 July) said its first 13,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel container vessel, Kota Elok, recently made her maiden call to Singapore on 15 July.

As the first of 13 new 13,000 TEU vessels joining its fleet, Kota Elok is equipped to operate on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and low-sulphur fuel oil that helps reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. 

The vessel also incorporated energy-saving features and digital technologies to reduce fuel consumption and enhance operational performance, as well as a bow windshield to improve aerodynamics, contributing to improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions over the course of long-haul voyages.

“Following Singapore, Kota Elok will continue her voyage on our East Coast Service 1 (ES1) route to South America, calling at ports in Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina before returning to Asia,” the company said in a social media post. 

Kota Elok also became PIL’s first vessel to receive Lloyd’s Register certification for compliance with the IACS UR E26 and UR E27 cyber security requirements.

Developed by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), UR E26 and UR E27 are mandatory cyber resilience requirements for newbuild vessels contracted from 1 July 2024. 

 

Photo credit: Pacific International Lines
Published: 21 July, 2026

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