Swiss engine maker WinGD is set to introduce its first ethanol-fuelled engine next year.

Deliveries of the new two-stroke engine for both newbuilds and retrofit projects are due to start in 2027, WinGD said in a statement on its website on Tuesday.

The engine has been adapted from the firm’s dual-fuel methanol engine.

WinGD says it has been studying ethanol fuel since 2014 and considers the fuel’s combustion and emission profile similar to methanol.

“WinGD is in discussions with several ship owners, ethanol fuel suppliers and class societies about the first commercial applications of its ethanol engine—and will confirm at a later date whether the engine will be optimised for ethanol or optimised for methanol with secondary ethanol capability,” the firm said.

Other engine manufacturers such as Everllence are also working to develop ethanol-fuelled engines.

Last week, Everllence announced the successful trial of ethanol as a marine fuel in its dual-fuel engine in Japan.