China proposes nuclear-powered floating island to reshape global shipping

A Chinese shipbuilder has unveiled a blueprint for a massive, nuclear-powered floating island that will serve as a container transfer terminal and a charging station for vessels.

The floating terminal will be powered by advanced molten salt reactors that use liquefied salt as both a fuel and coolant. These reactors can store vast amounts of thermal energy and cool without the need for water.

Jiangnan Shipyard, a subsidiary of state-owned China State Shipbuilding Corporation, said the complex would “become a new ecosystem for zero-emission ocean container logistics” and provide a “groundbreaking solution for the global shipping industry’s carbon neutral transformation”.

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The company announced its green marine transport hub concept – integrating shipping, port, energy production and transshipment – at the influential Posidonia International Shipping Exhibition in Greece on Tuesday and shared details on social media.

Engineers at the shipbuilder have been developing nuclear-powered vessels. Last year, they announced details of a cargo ship under development that is designed to be powered by a thorium-based molten salt reactor, with capacity for 25,000 shipping containers.

According to a slide show uploaded by Jiangnan Shipyard, the floating island complex will feature a nuclear-power and green-fuel production platform, dubbed the “zero-carbon heart of the hub”.

It will house a molten salt reactor, solar panels, a wind turbine, a hydrogen production and green-fuel synthesis module and an electricity supply module.