The commercial shipping industry is chasing a novel carbon-free propulsion technology as it pursues a lofty climate goal: nuclear power.
Shipping accounts for more planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions than Japan. The sector is responsible for 3% of all emissions globally, but the international body overseeing it has pledged to cut climate pollution by as much as 30% by 2030 and eliminate it by 2050. Nuclear power — long a source of propulsion for the military — is a tantalizing solution for an industry largely reliant on highly polluting bunker fuel, though it will likely prove hard to insure.
While there are clean fuels in development like ammonia, the dearth of affordable options to power massive cargo ships has created an almost “insurmountable problem,” according to Mikal Boe, chief executive officer of Core Power Ltd. In a bid to address it, his company is leading an effort that includes HD Korea Ship…