Nuclear power, once exclusive to US military ships, is now advocated by Patrick Pennella, Alex Polonsky, and Jane Accomando as a secure, clean option for civilian maritime energy.
Historical Military Utilization
Although nuclear power has been used successfully to power US military vessels since the 1950s, use for civilian maritime purposes has never evolved beyond a few experimental designs. High initial capital costs and concerns about safety kept nuclear power for the civilian maritime fleet from reaching criticality.
However, innovations in nuclear technology, combined with a push to decarbonize the civilian maritime industry, now offer the opportunity to revitalize the concept at commercially viable costs.
Safety Record of US Navy’s Nuclear Warships
The US Navy has employed dozens of nuclear-powered warships without any significant reactor-related safety events. The US, however, has built only a single nuclear-powered merchant ship—the proof-of-concept N.S. Savannah. A hybrid cargo and passenger vessel, the Savannah operated successfully from 1959 through 1972 but its limited cargo and passenger capacity made continued operation uneconomical.
The intent behind the Savannah was merely to prove the concept. And it did. Several other countries successfully operated experimental nuclear-powered civilian vessels but, as was the case in the US, widespread adoption never occurred.
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Source: Bloomberg Law
