HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) has unveiled a nuclear-powered container ship model using Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technology.
The development was revealed at the New Nuclear for Maritime Houston Summit in the US and is expected to “accelerate” the development of nuclear-powered vessels.
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HD KSOE, part of HD Hyundai’s shipbuilding sector, has received approval in principle (AIP) from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) for its 15,000 twenty-foot equivalent (TEU) class container ship design.
This model is said to provide “enhanced” economic efficiency and safety, featuring actual equipment and safety design concepts, according to the company.
HD KSOE’s design model eliminates the need for engine exhaust systems and fuel tanks, typical of conventional ships. By optimising the space for additional containers, the company says it has improved the ship’s economic efficiency.
To ensure safety, a marine radiation shielding system has been applied using a double-tank method with stainless steel and light water.
In collaboration with Baker Hughes, HD KSOE has also integrated a supercritical carbon dioxide-based propulsion system into the design, which is expected to improve thermal efficiency by approximately 5% compared to traditional steam-based propulsion systems.
HD KSOE is planning to establish a marine nuclear demonstration facility at its Future Technology Test Centre in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea to verify the safety designs of the nuclear-powered vessels.
HD KSOE’s Green Energy Research Lab head Park Sangmin said: “HD KSOE is strengthening cooperation not only with major classification societies but also with international regulatory bodies to establish international regulations necessary for the commercialisation of nuclear-powered vessels.
“Starting with the land-based SMR reactor manufacturing project, we aim to develop a marine nuclear business model by 2030.”
Since February last year, HD KSOE has been actively engaged in joint research with TerraPower on next-generation SMRs.
In December 2024, the company secured an order to manufacture the main equipment for TerraPower’s Natrium reactor, which is under construction in Wyoming, US.
Last month, HD KSOE received an AIP from ABS for a tank design optimised for large-scale hydrogen transport and storage.
