Car carrier ship may receive molten salt nuclear reactor after study evaluates shielding, stability, load, safety, and operation without refueling throughout its entire lifespan.

Written by Fabio Lucas Carvalho

Published on 12/06/2026 at 15:31

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Study conducted by Lloyd’s Register, Hyundai Heavy Industries, Korea Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering and partners evaluated how a small modular molten salt reactor could be integrated into a vehicle carrier ship, considering internal layout, shielding, stability, load, safety, and maritime operation.

A Ship carrying cars and trucks can accommodate a small modular molten salt reactor, following a study that confirmed the conceptual feasibility of the physical and operational integration of this technology in a PCTC vessel.

Ship with reactor required analysis of layout, weight, and load

The evaluation involved Lloyd’s Register, Hyundai Heavy Industries, Korea Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering, and other companies interested in the application of an advanced SMR in large vehicle carrier ships.

The work examined the internal arrangement of the reactor, the segregation of systems, shielding requirements, and the impact on the cargo deck. Changes in vehicle transport capacity were also evaluated.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Nuclear propulsion is still in the initial phase

Maritime nuclear propulsion was treated as a technology in the early stage of development. Even so, the project sought to gather technical knowledge to support future advances in the sector.

The propulsion system configuration, energy delivery, and operational flexibility were evaluated in light of PCTC ships powered by conventional fuels, which may face restrictions on commercial routes and port scales.

Safety and risks were a central part of the study

Lloyd’s Register conducted the hazard identification and preliminary risk assessment. The focus included containment, onboard safety systems, and possible operability restrictions of nuclear technology at sea.

Hyundai Heavy Industries points to SMR-powered ships as an alternative in the face of stricter environmental rules and the absence of a definitive zero-carbon emission fuel.

KAERI considers the study relevant for evaluating a maritime SMR of the MSR type in a specific vessel. The result reinforces the technical analysis of the application in real operating conditions.

Comment on what you think of this proposal for maritime transport: a ship capable of operating with a small modular reactor may represent technological advancement, but it also raises questions about safety, regulation, ports, and public acceptance.

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Car carrier ship may receive molten salt nuclear reactor after study evaluates shielding, stability, load, safety, and operation without refueling throughout its entire lifespan.

Ship with reactor required analysis of layout, weight, and load

Nuclear propulsion is still in the initial phase

Safety and risks were a central part of the study

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Car carrier ship may receive molten salt nuclear reactor after study evaluates shielding, stability, load, safety, and operation without refueling throughout its entire lifespan.

Ship with reactor required analysis of layout, weight, and load

Nuclear propulsion is still in the initial phase

Safety and risks were a central part of the study

Engineers want to carve through Africa with a giant canal to bring water from the world’s second-largest river to a dying lake on the edge of the Sahara Desert that has already lost 90% of its water.

A giant brown band visible from space, approximately 8,850 kilometers long, connected Africa to America in the Atlantic Ocean, and satellites revealed that it is neither land nor pollution, but the largest accumulation of seaweed in the world, which broke records in 2025.

Workers were opening a modern road in Dover when they found, 6 meters below the asphalt, a 3,500-year-old boat made of stitched oak and plant fibers.

Instead of burning or burying old tires, an American city is transforming about 2,000 of them into the street itself, paving its first sections with a quieter and more durable rubber asphalt.

In just one cast, fishermen are surprised to capture 14,096 mullets in Bombinhas and close a historic season with 58,000 fish; scene recorded in the Santa Catarina paradise marks the last day of the 2026 season.

Russia brings to life a prototype of a supersonic passenger jet and aims for the return of commercial flights above the speed of sound with the promise of less noise near airports.

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