A ship is adapted to transport the largest nuclear container in history: the TN Eagle weighs 150 tons and is 5 meters long.

Written by Andriely Medeiros de Araújo

Published on 11/05/2026 at 17:56

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Pacific Nuclear Transport’s Pacific Grebe was customized to transport the TN Eagle, a 150-ton, 5-meter container developed by French company Orano for irradiated MOX fuel. The equipment already has approval in the USA and France, and dozens of units have been ordered.

The nuclear maritime transport operation has achieved impressive numbers that reinforce the reliability of the fleet operated by Pacific Nuclear Transport (PNTL). To date, the company’s specialized vessels have traveled approximately 8 million kilometers across the oceans — a distance equivalent to hundreds of trips around the Earth.

Along this route, more than 2,000 nuclear containers have been successfully delivered to 12 countries, including nations such as Japan, Germany, Finland, Switzerland, and the United States. Currently, this logistical structure is supported by three diesel-powered vessels: the Pacific Heron, the Pacific Egret, and the Pacific Grebe.

It is precisely this latter vessel that leads the company’s latest innovation, becoming the pioneer in adapting for the transport of new-generation irradiated fuels, consolidating PNTL’s expertise under the management of Nuclear Transport Solutions (NTS), according to information from PetroNotícias.

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The giant TN Eagle

At the heart of this modernization is the TN Eagle container, developed by the French company Orano. This receptacle is not just another cargo; it represents the largest package ever transported by NTS in its entire history.

With a robust design aimed at mixed oxide (MOX) fuel, the device boasts impressive technical characteristics:

Weight: 150 tons of shielding and structure;

Dimensions: 5 meters long by 3 meters in diameter;

Certifications: Approved by the French Nuclear Safety Authority (2020) and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (November 2023);

Demand: Dozens of units have already been ordered by international clients.

Customized engineering and ship compatibility tests

For the Pacific Grebe vessel to accommodate the TN Eagle, high-precision engineering work was required. NTS and PNTL specialists developed a unique adapter plate, ensuring that the ship’s hold provided a millimeter-perfect fit for the enormous container.

Furthermore, customized tools were manufactured to ensure that the vessel’s removable decks operated in perfect alignment with the new cargo.

The validation of this technology underwent rigorous phases:

Preliminary tests at Barrow Maritime Terminal, United Kingdom;

Full-scale experimental installation at the port of Cherbourg, France;

The success of the operation on the Pacific Grebe vessel paves the way for the Pacific Egret to be the next ship to undergo customization. This continuity is vital for the global transport network, as highlighted by Conner Love, NTS’s Marine Transport Director:

“This was a fantastic collaborative effort between NTS and PNTL.” “It demonstrates the cutting-edge expertise we possess in nuclear transport and engineering. We are proud to have worked on the successful completion of this project, but this is just the beginning, as we will embark on a series of vital irradiated nuclear fuel movements around the world.”

With information from PetroNotícias

A ship is adapted to transport the largest nuclear container in history: the TN Eagle weighs 150 tons and is 5 meters long.

Pacific Nuclear Transport’s Pacific Grebe was customized to transport the TN Eagle, a 150-ton, 5-meter container developed by French company Orano for irradiated MOX fuel. The equipment already has approval in the USA and France, and dozens of units have been ordered.

The giant TN Eagle

Customized engineering and ship compatibility tests

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A ship is adapted to transport the largest nuclear container in history: the TN Eagle weighs 150 tons and is 5 meters long.

Pacific Nuclear Transport’s Pacific Grebe was customized to transport the TN Eagle, a 150-ton, 5-meter container developed by French company Orano for irradiated MOX fuel. The equipment already has approval in the USA and France, and dozens of units have been ordered.

The giant TN Eagle

Customized engineering and ship compatibility tests

A village with 115 inhabitants wants new residents: it offers a house, a job, up to 44 thousand euros in benefits, almost free rent, an annual grant of 8 thousand euros for 3 years, and a 20 thousand euro incentive for businesses in the mountains of Italy.

Seven world powers including the US, China, and Russia are spending €22 billion on a reactor in the south of France that aims to confine plasma at 150 million degrees Celsius, ten times the temperature of the Sun’s core, using a magnetic field capable of lifting an entire aircraft carrier.

With a wingspan of 152 meters, 76 tires, and a capacity to carry 1,270 tons, the Boeing Pelican was the giant “flying ship” that promised to cross oceans close to the water on an invisible air cushion beneath its wings.

Elon Musk’s internet comes to mobile: Starlink technology connects smartphones without an antenna via satellite, works even without carrier signal, already costs just US$10 extra in the US, and could arrive in Brazil as an included benefit.

While countries spend billions to draw water from the sea, a Nobel-winning scientist creates a container-sized machine that extracts up to 1,000 liters per day from dry air and uses ultrasound to release water in minutes, even in the middle of the desert.

After 16 years and almost 600 prototypes, a Chinese inventor unveils the world’s smallest and cheapest manned jet, at just 3.80 meters long and costing US$7.2 thousand in materials.

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