Ariane MorrisseyA nuclear-propelled containership design developed by HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) has received approval in principle (AiP) from classification society ABS.
The 15,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) vessel concept features a propulsion system consisting of a molten salt reactor (MSR) for heat and a supercritical carbon dioxide (SCO2) system for power generation, ABS indicated in a statement published on 19 February.
‘Fourth-generation SMRs [small modular reactors], currently in the demonstration phase, offer a groundbreaking improvement in safety compared to conventional reactors,’ said Sangmin Park, Senior Vice President of HD KSOE.
‘When applied to large container ships, they could potentially have less risk than some of the other alternative fuel systems,’ he added.
‘Advanced modern reactors are both a global decarbonisation solution and a commercial shipping disruptor,’ commented Christopher J. Wiernicki, CEO and Chairman of ABS.
‘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.’
Following the AiP, HD KSOE will continue to work with ABS to further develop the vessel.
Photo: Sangmin Park, Senior Vice President of HD KSOE, with Patrick Ryan, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at ABS (credit: ABS)
Related: ABS Chief: ‘There is no net zero by 2050 without nuclear’
Ian Taylor
