CONCEPT DESIGN FOR A SUEZMAX TANKER POWERED BY A 70 MW SMALL MODULAR REACTOR

Abstract

The authors are to be congratulated on a well- researched and timely technical paper. I am pleased to express my personal opinion on the subject.

COSCO was intending to initiate a study in December 2009 on nuclear powered ship design in order to reduce GHG emissions from shipping. However, this plan was aborted three years after, following the catastrophic accident at the Fukushima nuclear power station in Japan during March 2011. This intensified political and public opposition to nuclear power to the extent that Germany has since adopted plans to decommission its entire nuclear infrastructure. However, confidence is beginning to re- emerge - confidence which I share. With increasing attention being given to GHG emissions arising from burning fossil fuels for global aviation and marine transport, together with the excellent safety record of nuclear power in the marine environment and the development of the new generation of SMRs, it is quite conceivable that renewed attention will be given to the application of nuclear power in merchant ship propulsion.

In producing this paper, the authors have made a significant contribution in the field of innovative ship design development. They have demonstrated the feasibility of applying the latest generation of nuclear reactor to commercial ship propulsion. Whereas nuclear power has been widely used in vessels of a number of navies and icebreakers, it has yet to be adopted for commercial ships other than a small number of research projects. This paper has provided good rationale for accommodating nuclear power in merchant shipping including speed and range requirements, required specific volume on board, environmental considerations etc. The study has also considered the risks associated with design and the arrangement of nuclear systems including location of the SMR, type of propulsion options and other safety- critical issues, not least the radiological risk to persons on board, involved in maintenance and in port.