Nuclear-power container shipping could be possible within the decade

NUCLEAR-POWERED container ships could be moving cargo in and out of Europe by the end of the decade, thanks to the launch of a joint study by leaders in the shipping and nuclear industries.

Danish company Maersk, which moves 12m containers a year, has partnered with Lloyd’s Register and nuclear technology start-up CORE POWER to study the regulatory feasibility of using fourth-generation nuclear reactors to power container ships.

As negative public perception and waste management continue to be a challenge for the nuclear industry, the study will investigate how to improve regulation and safety rules for its use.

Ole Graa Jakobsen, Maersk’s head of fleet technology, said: “Nuclear power holds a number of challenges related to for example safety, waste management, and regulatory acceptance across regions”.

He added: “If these challenges can be addressed by development of the new so-called fourth-generation reactor designs, nuclear power could potentially mature into another possible decarbonisation pathway for the logistics industry 10 to 15 years in the future.”

Emissions saving solution

Large maritime vessels run on bunker fuel, a tar-like substance that belongs to a large family of petroleum-based fuel oils. The maritime transport industry accounts for 3% of global total emissions, with production having increased by 20% over the last decade.

A UN Trade and Development report said that it would cost US$8-28bn annually to decarbonise the world’s fleet by 2050.

Maersk has set the ambitious goal of reaching net zero by 2040 and is investing heavily in green methanol to decarbonise. Its joint study with CORE POWER and Lloyd’s Register into nuclear may open up the possibility of a multi-fuel pathway.

Lloyd’s Register published a report last month on the use of nuclear power as an alternative low carbon maritime fuel.

It highlighted how nuclear could provide a cost-effective solution for the maritime industry as nuclear vessels would not need to be refuelled as often as bunker-using container vessels, which consume around 63,000 gallons of fuel per day and need to refuel every few months.

Nuclear has been used for many military vessels, with naval reactors, widely used in the US military, typically needing to be refuelled every 10 years.

Newer models have been designed to last around 30-50 years in aircraft carriers and submarines, allowing them to travel distances of more than 1.5m km.

Though successful in the military, progress in the maritime industry has been stunted due to cost restraints and safety concerns around ships entering ports.

Safe foundations

Lloyd’s also says that the designs for nuclear reactors currently under consideration for the maritime industry, which include molten salt reactors (MSR) and micro-reactors, have passive safety features in place to prevent nuclear accidents.

Newer reactors contain cooling systems that do not rely on emergency generators or pumps, making them “walk away safe” in the event of a malfunction.

Though tighter regulation is needed on how to dispose of large volumes of radioactive waste more efficiently, the report maintains that fourth-generation reactors will have the capacity to reduce the amount of low-level waste, which accounts for 90% of nuclear waste.

Future shipping

The International Chamber of Shipping 2022-2023 survey of more than 130 maritime executives found that 9% anticipate nuclear will find commercial use in the next decade.

The joint study involving Maersk will mainly look to provide evidence for regulatory changes in safety and operation around nuclear power, specifically to improve the understanding of how nuclear works for members of the maritime supply chain who will be affected by its use.

The end goal of the study is to build a framework for the construction of a nuclear-powered container ship to be used in a European port.

Mikal Bøe, the CEO of CORE POWER, said that he expects first orders for reactor-equipped vessels to come in by around 2028-29, and hopes to build a US$10bn order book by 2030.