Swiss marine engine manufacturer Winterthur Gas and Diesel (WinGD) has sold its first two ethanol-fuelled marine engines.
It said last year that it would begin offering the technology.
The engines will power two ore carriers to be built for China's Shandong Shipping to operate under charters for Brazilian mining group Vale. WinGD will build the engines by modifying its methanol-fuelled model, as ethanol and methanol share similar properties and combustion characteristics.
"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 decarbonisation," said WinGD executive director of sales Volkmar Galke.
Ethanol has gained traction as a marine fuel because of its potential to comply with greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions regulations. Last week, the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 84) added Brazil's second-crop corn-based ethanol as a recognised fuel pathway in its life-cycle assessment (LCA) guidelines for marine fuels.
Although ethanol is not a drop-in fuel, meaning vessels require retrofitting to run on it, it can absorb surplus production from countries such as Brazil.
But FuelEU Maritime and the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) — European regulations considered the world's most advanced for shipping — do not accept biofuels made from food crops, known as first-generation fuels, for emissions reduction because of food security risks.
