A pioneering nuclear-propelled container ship designed by HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) has received approval in principle from ABS. The design for a 15,000 TEU vessel uses a propulsion system comprised of a molten salt reactor (MSR) for heat and a supercritical carbon dioxide (SCO2) system for power generation.
ABS completed design reviews based on class requirements. ABS published the industry’s first comprehensive requirements for floating nuclear power in October last year.
‘Advanced modern reactors are both a global decarbonisation solution and a commercial shipping disruptor,’ says ABS Chairman and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki. ‘They are a key transformational technology that forms a critical part of the calculus to get to net zero by 2050 and they change the commercial model, the economics of shipping, the operation of the vessels and their design, as KSOE have demonstrated. The new nuclear story is now being written and this collaboration with KSOE is an important step forward.’
Also read: ABS CEO: Net zero in shipping by 2050 must include nuclear
‘Less risk than other alternative fuel systems’
Senior Vice President Sangmin Park of HD KSOE: ‘Fourth-generation SMRs, currently in the demonstration phase, offer a groundbreaking improvement in safety compared to conventional reactors. When applied to large container ships, they could potentially have less risk than some of the other alternative fuel systems.’
Following the AiP, HD KSOE will continue to work with ABS to further develop the vessel.
ABS is exploring advanced nuclear reactor technologies for offshore and maritime applications and is working with the US Department of Energy to research barriers to the adoption of advanced nuclear propulsion on commercial vessels.
Picture: Sangmin Park, Senior Vice President, HD KSOE, with Patrick Ryan, ABS Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer (photo by ABS).
Also read: Core Power plans floating nuclear plant in US ports
