Wednesday, September 9, 2026

Nuclear Merchant Ships?

New Wave Media

December 28, 2009

nuclearmerchantshipsimg

nuclearmerchantshipsimg

Easy to dismiss but it could potentially happen. Open for thoughtful consideration and discussion.

The head of Chinese shipping giant Cosco has suggested that container ships should be powered by nuclear reactors in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from shipping, said to account for 4% of the global total. Shipping companies have gradually been introducing 'super slow steaming', a measure designed to cut fuel consumption and substantially reduce emissions by running engines at very low speed. However, Wei Jiafu, Cosco's president and CEO, speaking at the Senior Maritime Forum of the China International Maritime Exhibition (Marintec China) in Shanghai, said that introducing nuclear-powered ships could be an even cleaner solution. He said, "As they are already onboard submarines, why not cargo ships?" He said that Cosco is in talks with China's nuclear authority to develop nuclear powered freight vessels.

Besides safety issues (specialized crew, accidents, piracy, etc) and politcal ramifications, would Cosco purchase ships/plants from U.S. shipyards?
cosconuclearshipping
August marks the annual hydrographic e-magazine and the opportunity to highlight some of the global research underway in our world’s oceans. We explore hydrographic data, climate simulations, subsea networks and cybersecurity, camera technology, autonomous operations, sonar and survey solutions, as well as ROVs.
Read the Magazine Sponsored by

At the Intersection of Pluggables and Subsea Networks

Marine Technology Magazine Cover Jul 2026 -

Marine Technology Reporter is the world's largest audited subsea industry publication serving the offshore energy, subsea defense and scientific communities.

Subscribe
Marine Technology ENews subscription

Marine Technology ENews is the subsea industry's largest circulation and most authoritative ENews Service, delivered to your Email three times per week

Subscribe for MTR E-news