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| Fig. 1: NS Savannah, the world's first merchant maritime vessel. (Source: Wikimedia Commons) |
Nuclear maritime travel utilizes controlled nuclear reactions to power vessels, offering extended ranges and potential efficiency gains. Despite advantages, concerns persist about safety and environmental risks associated with nuclear- powered ships.
Nuclear-powered maritime vessels harness energy released through controlled nuclear fission reactions to propel a vessel through water. Specifically, these ships leverage compact nuclear reactors to generate steam, which drives turbines and powers propulsion systems along with all electricity required for the ship. [1] Instead of coal or oil powered ships, nuclear power allows maritime vessels to operate at long intervals before refueling.
In 1955, the United States (US) Navy launched the USS Nautilus the worlds first nuclear powered ship. Specifically, designed as a submarine, the USS Nautilus showcased the application of nuclear propulsion for extended underwater operations by completing the first fully submerged transit under the North Pole as part of Operation Sunshine. [2] Since 1955 five other countries have joined the US in adopting nuclear submarine technology including Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom, and India. [3] In addition to submarines, the US has also developed nuclear-powered aircraft carries, such as the USS Enterprise which was commissioned in 1961. [4] Beyond military vessels, nuclear energy has been leveraged to power civilian vessels. In 1959, the Soviet Union launched the Lenin, world's first nuclear-powered surface vessel which operated as an icebreaker for 30 years. In 2023, Russia still operates a series of nuclear-powered icebreakers, including Arktika, Sibir, 50 Let Pobedy, Rossiya, Yamal, Taymyr and Vaygach allowing for prolonged navigation along the Northern Sea. [5] Similarly, the nuclear energy technology has been applied to power merchant ships. In 1959, as part of the Atoms for Peace Program the US launched the NS Savannah the first merchant ship (Fig.1). Joining the US, Germany, Japan and Russia also developed cargo-based ships. However, today only the Russian cargo vessel Sevmorput, commissioned in 1988, is still in operation in 2024. [5]
Nuclear-powered reactors can provide energy for up to ten to twenty years allowing merchant vessels to operate years without refueling. Furthermore, uranium has about 156,000 times the energy of coal in a conventional light water reactor. [6] This high energy density of nuclear fuel replaces the need to store large volumes of fuel allowing for merchant ships to operate faster and carry more cargo.
Nuclear fission reactions emit no greenhouse gases, allowing nuclear-based cargo to reduce the environmental footprint of the maritime industry. Shipping is a significant source of atmospheric pollution, accounting for 2.7 percent of Carbon dioxides, 4-9 percent of Sulphur oxides, and 15 percent of Nitrogen oxides emissions. [7] Nuclear-powered maritime travel is often presented as an alternative solution to mitigate the rising greenhouse gas emissions. However, currently, nuclear-powered merchant vessels require high economic cost and present a safety risk to vessel crew and surrounding environment preventing their implementation. In the event of collisions or equipment failures, these vessels may pose a significant threat, leading to potential nuclear spills that can be detrimental to both on-board personnel and marine environment. [8] These problems have limited the adoption of this technology.
© Ian Coates. The author warrants that the work is the author's own and that Stanford University provided no input other than typesetting and referencing guidelines. The author grants permission to copy, distribute and display this work in unaltered form, with attribution to the author, for noncommercial purposes only. All other rights, including commercial rights, are reserved to the author.
[1] I. Hore-Lacy, Nuclear Energy in the 21st Century (Academic Press, 2006), pp. 93-110.
[2] C. J. G. Griffin, "'Operation Sunshine': The Rhetoric of a Cold War Technological Spectacle," Rhetor. Public Aff. 16, 521 (2013).
[3] M. Bayraktar and O. Yüksel, "nalysis of the Nuclear Energy Systems as an Alternative Propulsion System Option on Commercial Marine Vessels By Utilizing the SWOT-AHP Method," Nucl. Eng. Des. 407, 112265 (2023).
[4] M. L. Evans, USS Enterprise (CVN-65): The First Nuclear Powered Aircraft Carrier (McFarland, 2022).
[5] Q. Wang, H. Zhang, and P. Zhu, "Using Nuclear Energy for Maritime Decarbonization and Related Environmental Challenges: Existing Regulatory Shortcomings and Improvements," Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 20, 2993 (2023).
[6] International Atomic Energy Agency, Nuclear Law The Global Debate (T. M. C. Asser Press, 2022), pp. 95-101.
[7] L. O. Freire and D. A. de Andrade, "Historic Survey on Nuclear Merchant Ships," Nucl. Eng. Des. 293, 176 (2015).
[8] S. Fu et al., "Towards a Probabilistic Approach for Risk Analysis of Nuclear-Powered Icebreakers Using FMEA and FRAM," Ocean Eng. 260, 112041 (2022).
