"Today, only a few countries still operate nuclear-powered ships, and mostly for military uses in aircraft carriers and submarines. Russia continues to employ a small fleet of nuclear icebreakers on the so-called Northern Sea Route in the Arctic, for example. Cargo vessels, let alone passenger ships, that run on nuclear fuel have all but disappeared. But some people are convinced the time has come to bring them back."
"Shipping's carbon emissions problem Merchant ships carry about 80% of all internationally traded goods, which makes them indispensable to keeping the global economy running. But the majority still run on bunker oil, a thick, tar-like fuel made from crude oil, and have smokestacks that spew toxic pollutants into their air. Collectively, they emit as much climate-changing CO2 as the entire country of Japan."
"The International Maritime Organization (IMO), which is responsible for global shipping, wants the sector to reach net zero emissions by around 2050. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video But none of the technologies touted to curb greenhouse gas emissions substantially for example batteries or alternative fuels like methanol and ammonia are able to achieve this goal all by themselves."
Mamie Eisenhower christened the NS Savannah in 1959, a merchant vessel powered by a nuclear reactor that operated between 1962 and 1970 to showcase peaceful nuclear propulsion. Nuclear propulsion today is mainly used in military vessels and a few Russian icebreakers, while commercial nuclear ships have nearly vanished. Merchant ships transport about 80% of internationally traded goods and emit CO2 comparable to a major nation because they burn bunker oil. The IMO aims for net-zero shipping emissions by around 2050, but batteries and alternative fuels like methanol or ammonia cannot fully meet that target, prompting renewed interest in nuclear options.
Read at www.dw.com
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