Will nuclear power be the future of cruises? – Norwegians with “Thor” subvert the data

How could cruises and other activities at sea be carried out with zero gas emissions; The Norwegian shipbuilding company Ulstein answered this question with the drafts of a revolutionary ship.

The 500-foot-long boat designed by the company was named “Τhor » and this choice does not seem to be at all accidental. On the one hand it refers to the Scandinavian god Thor but also to thorium, an element that will feed him nuclear reactor inside the vessel itselfς.

THE nuclear energy so it might be the “key” to the green transition to sea ​​travel.

Such a ship it would never need to be refueled and could generate its own supply of electricity, which in turn would be used to power an accompanying vessel. In this case the boat Sif.

“Sif does not emit pollutants, so it can cruise in full electric mode and Thor will was her charging stationSays Ulstein σχεyvind chief designer Gjerde Kamsvåg. “These are just thoughts at the moment and may not be realized that way, but important discussions are starting,” he said, among other things.

The ship would use a “molten salt” reactor, a type of nuclear reactor first tested in the 1960s, so named because it used a mixture of liquid salts in its core.

These reactors have attracted interest in recent years and modern versions are being developed in many countries, including of the USA, China, Canada and Denmark. However, it will be many years before they are marketed or installed on ships.

But by taking advantage of this technology, cruises will change radically for the better. It will be possible to travel to more remote or scenic locations such as Antarctica, the Arctic Circle, Greenland or the Galapagos Islands.