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South Korea has obtained preliminary approval from the United States for the conceptual design of a 15,000 TEU container ship powered by two small molten salt modular reactors (SMR).
Approval in principle was issued by the US Bureau of Shipping, indicating that the concept meets the applicable safety intentions for this initial design stage, while remaining subject to additional technical conditions.
The proposal combines nuclear propulsion, energy storage and an optimized ship design aimed at improving operational efficiency while supporting long-term decarburization efforts across commercial shipping.
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The Korea Research Institute of Naval and Ocean Engineering (KRISO) worked with Samsung Heavy Industries on the development of the hull, reactor location and power management technologies for the vessel.
Meanwhile, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute is responsible for developing the molten salt reactor intended for marine propulsion applications.
Together, the organizations designed a ship capable of transporting 15,000 TEU while maintaining operational characteristics suitable for commercial container transportation.
According to KRISO, the power architecture uses two redundant molten salt reactors that share electrical production while working together with an onboard energy storage system.
Excess electricity can be stored before being supplied when demand increases, allowing reactor output and propulsion requirements to remain balanced during operations.
The conceptual design also incorporates a hull capable of reaching 25 knots while remaining compatible with the expanded Panama Canal.
Engineers placed the reactors near the center of the vessel to reduce the effects of waves and reduce potential collision risks during maritime operations.
The elimination of conventional fuel tanks and exhaust funnels also creates additional cargo space while allowing accommodation areas to be organized taking into account visibility and radiation protection requirements.
To improve design confidence, the researchers tested scale ship models inside a deep-sea engineering tank to evaluate the movement of the ships in different sea conditions.
Those experiments produced data supporting the development of the hull and reactor placement while examining how the ship’s motion could affect major onboard systems.
Marine tests support future development of nuclear shipping
Lead researcher Baek Bu-geun said reactor safety alone cannot determine whether nuclear propulsion is suitable for commercial ships because the ship’s overall design and operating conditions also require careful consideration.
“To apply SMRs to ship propulsion systems, not only the safety of the reactor but also the structure and operational characteristics of the ship and the marine environment must be thoroughly considered,” Bu-geun said.
Future work would advance through basic and detailed design phases addressing the ship-reactor interface prior to potential demonstration projects.
“SMR-powered vessels are a next-generation technology that will determine the competitiveness of the future shipping industry…” said KRISO President Hong Ki-yong.
Commercial shipping currently consumes approximately 350 million tonnes of fossil fuels per year and accounts for around 3% of global carbon emissions.
The proposed SMR-powered container is part of ongoing efforts to develop low-emission propulsion technologies, although commercial deployment is still years away.
Via WNN
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