Wärtsilä’s ammonia, methanol engines receive CCS’ AIPs

China Classification Society (CCS) has issued an Approval in Principle (AiP) for the recently launched ammonia engine and five methanol engines developed by Finnish technology group Wärtsilä.

The certificate was handed over by CCS’s Vice President Zhao Yan to Wärtsilä EVP and President of Marine Power Roger Holm at the celebration ceremony at Marintec.  

Following this announcement, another ceremony was held where CCS and Wärtsilä signed a strategic collaboration agreement wherein both parties will carry out in-depth cooperation in the fields of ammonia and methane engine approval, retrofitting.

They will also work on standards development and research as they stay committed to providing high-quality services to shipowners and shipyards alike. 

A few days ago, the Finnish company unveiled four new methanol engines to its portfolio, including Wärtsilä 20, Wärtsilä 31, Wärtsilä 46F and Wärtsilä 46TS engines which will be capable of operating on methanol fuel. The four new methanol engines will be available for deliveries at different points from 2025 onwards.

In November, the Wärtsilä 32 methanol engine was certified by CCS, representing the first methanol engine type approval by CCS in the world. With more Wärtsilä future fuel engine designs and functionalities approved, they can be safely deployed at CCS-certified ships. 

Recently, the company also introduced the marine sector’s first commercially available 4-stroke engine-based solution for ammonia fuel. The new solution can immediately reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 70 percent, compared to a similar-sized diesel solution, meeting current EU targets until 2050 and even exceeding the IMO target for 2040, according to Wärtsilä.