China Unveils a Nuclear Super Cargo Ship Capable of Navigating for Years Without Refueling

Is this the future of maritime transport? China has revealed impressive technical details about its future nuclear cargo ship, touted as the "largest in the world." Powered by a thorium molten salt reactor (TMSR) with a thermal output of 200 megawatts (MW), the vessel, designed to carry 14,000 standard containers, could sail for years without needing resupply. During a press conference reported on Thursday, November 6, by Interesting Engineering, chief engineer Hu Keyi of the Jiangnan Shipbuilding Group noted that "the 200 MW thermal output is comparable to the S6W reactors used in the U.S. Navy’s Seawolf-class attack submarines."

The reactor will not directly propel the cargo ship but will provide energy to a supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) generator, which will drive a turbine to produce 50 MW of electricity. Based on the Brayton cycle, this system achieves "a thermal-to-electric conversion efficiency of 45 to 50%, a significant improvement over the approximately 33% efficiency of conventional steam reactors," explained Hu Keyi.

Maximum Safety

One of the advantages of this design is thorium, a heavy metal that ensures better safety compared to uranium and eliminates the need for water cooling, making the reactor more compact and quieter. It operates at normal pressure, and its nuclear reaction automatically slows down if the temperature rises, "preventing any runaway reaction."

Additionally, it has two heat evacuation systems that do not require human intervention and a sealed module designed to last a decade, after which it will be replaced. In the worst-case scenario of an incident, the melting fuel would pour into a safety chamber and solidify to prevent any leakage of radioactive materials, according to its creators.

Aiming to Become a Global Reference

Overall, this super cargo demonstrates China’s strategy to leverage its vast thorium reserves, particularly in Inner Mongolia, to strengthen its leadership in the nuclear sector.

In this regard, Hu Keyi added that the country is also developing other nuclear vessels, including a lead-bismuth cooled Suezmax tanker and a floating nuclear power plant. Just a few weeks ago, China also announced that it successfully converted thorium into uranium fuel in a TMSR for the first time, providing evidence of the technical feasibility of this type of reactor.