What is engine retrofit?
Engine retrofit upgrades an existing combustion engine so it can run on low-carbon e-fuels such as methanol, ammonia and hydrogen, rather than fossil diesel.
Most of the world’s ships and industrial generators will stay in service for decades. Retrofitting lets operators cut emissions from the engines they already run, turning existing assets into clean-fuel ready machines without the cost and delay of building new ones.
The fuels we enable
Each e-fuel offers a different route to lower emissions, with its own handling and combustion challenges.
Methanol
A liquid at ambient conditions and easy to handle, methanol is one of the most practical clean marine fuels and is already moving into commercial shipping.
Ammonia
Carbon-free when burned, ammonia is a leading candidate for deep-sea decarbonisation, but it ignites poorly and demands careful handling.
Hydrogen
The cleanest fuel of all, producing only water, hydrogen suits shorter routes and stationary power where storage and supply can be managed.
Why retrofit instead of rebuild
The challenge is making clean fuels ignite and burn reliably in engines designed for diesel. Solve that, and retrofit becomes the fastest path to decarbonisation.
Keep your assets
Operators decarbonise the ships and generators they already own, instead of scrapping and rebuilding entire fleets.
Lower cost and risk
Retrofitting is a fraction of the cost of a newbuild and avoids years of waiting for new tonnage.
Minimal modification
Engines adopt new fuels with limited hardware changes, so downtime and disruption stay low.
3Y Energy retrofit technology
Our patented hardware lets existing engines adopt e-fuels with minimal modification, pairing a dual-fuel supply system with an enhanced pre-chamber ignition system.
The dual-fuel supply system delivers clean fuel alongside a pilot fuel for stable combustion, while the pre-chamber ignition system reaches 92 percent or higher combustion efficiency, overcoming the poor ignition of fuels like ammonia. Each package is tailored to the customer’s engines and routes, drawing on more than a decade of combustion research from Cambridge CARES and NUS.
Proven in the field
Our technology is validated in real, world-first deployments.
3Y Energy learnt from the dual-fuel retrofit of Fortescue’s Green Pioneer, the world’s first ammonia-powered vessel, launched in Singapore in 2024, validating ammonia safety and keeping emissions within regulatory limits. We are now designing further ammonia power systems and have partnered with CSSC Marine Power (manufacturor for Everllence/MAN Energy Solutions and WinGD) on next-generation marine engines.
Ready to retrofit your engines?
Talk to our team about converting your ships or generators to run on clean e-fuels.
Contact us