WinGD engines installed aboard new gas carriers in South Korea

Construction of EXMAR’s new vessels continues

Click to learn more. The “beating heart” of EXMAR’s new dual-fuel ammonia carriers – the WinGD X-DF-A engine – has been installed onboard the first vessel in South Korea. Source: EXMAR LinkedIn.

Construction of four 46,000 m³ mid-sized gas carrier vessels began in December last year in Ulsan, South Korea. On track for delivery next year, EXMAR announced this week that a WinGD dual-fuel ammonia engine has now been installed onboard the first of the vessels. The X-DF-A two-stroke engine has produced promising initial test results, with additional testing (non-standard operating conditions) and on-water operational data to follow.

Vessels under construction in South Korea, China and Japan

Click to enlarge. The global ammonia-fueled vessel landscape as of June 2025. From Low-Emission Ammonia Data (LEAD): Vessels, Executive Summary (Ammonia Energy Association, June 2025).

Via our LEAD (Low-Emission Ammonia Data) project, the AEA is tracking the progress of ammonia-fueled and ammonia-ready vessels worldwide. As of this month, the ammonia carrier and bulk carrier segments dominate: of 64 ammonia-fueled vessels currently ordered, nearly all come from the two vessel segments, with the first of these expected to hit the waters in 2026 and 2027.

In South Korea, under-construction ammonia-fueled ammonia carriers include four for Naftomar Shipping at Hanwha’s Geoje shipyard, and – also at the Hyundai Mipo Shipyard in Ulsan – two for Capital Gas Management, plus four for Trafigura. Ammonia-fueled ammonia carriers are also under construction in China (two for AW Shipping at Jiangnan Shipyard; seven across two different size classes for Tianjin Southwest Shipping at Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding Company; three for Trammo built by Tianjin Southwest Maritime Limited (Wideshine), and Japan (one for NYK Line at Japan Marine United Ariake).