2 ms·

any reason boats like this aren't nuclear powered?

• koolba 3y ago
  Even if it did exist, I doubt any civilian port would let a private nuclear powered vessel dock. Plus there’s the whole piracy angle. A boat in the middle of nowhere, with no serious backup, would be a target for terrorists to acquire nuclear material.
• ooterness 3y ago
  It's been tried a few times, but largely abandoned due to cost overruns. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NS_Savannah https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NS_Savannah https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_marine_propulsion#Civilian_nuclear_ships https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_marine_propulsion#Civi...
• burkaman 3y ago
  Russian ones are: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear-powered_icebreaker#List_of_nuclear-powered_icebreakers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear-powered_icebreaker#Lis... It probably would have been substantially more expensive for Australia to build and operate one, since nobody there has ever done it before. There's also supply chain risk - most nuclear reactor fuel comes from Russia at the moment, and none of it comes from Australia. There is uranium in Australia, but it would take a long time for them to start producing fuel themselves or develop a robust supply chain with a trusted trade partner.
• wolverine876 3y ago
  It already cost $500M without a nuclear reactor.