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That's pretty much political though. Nuclear powered cargo ships have already worked, and Russia says they're putting theirs back into service in a bit. Althou
by MichaelGG 11y ago
That's pretty much political though. Nuclear powered cargo ships have already worked, and Russia says they're putting theirs back into service in a bit.
Although if foreseeable future means obvious stuff, then yes, the huge number of non-nuclear ships means it'll take a long time even if everyone liked the idea tomorrow.
- nradov 11y agoNuclear powered civilian ships are not going to be generally viable in our lifetimes due to real safety and security concerns that go beyond mere politics. Operating a nuclear reactor requires more, and more highly trained, crew members. Plus you need constant armed security on par with what land-based nuclear power plants have. Those additional costs outweigh any possible savings on fuel. Russia operates only a few of them on limited service in areas where security isn't a major concern, and they don't really try to make a profit. The long-term future of merchant shipping will probably be larger, more efficient ships running on liquid fuels (biofuels or direct chemical synthesis), plus automated auxiliary sails.