need to protect against collisions and groundings. “If Mark Webber can walk away from
a Formula One car aſter flipping it and crashing at 200mph then I’m sure we can design a ship that can withstand a collision or grounding,” said Mr Jenkins. And if that collision or grounding
should result in the vessel being lost the fuel cassette will be in a sealed unit with a sealant that hardens when it comes into contact with water. So if the vessel should sink the core will be sealed preventing leaks into the marine environment until the cassette can be recovered. Two vessel designs are envisaged
by the nuclear partnership, both for suezmax tankers one that will complete its cargo-handling operations outside of port, thereby circumventing any port state control difficulties that could arise from the atomic power plant. A second design will be modular which
would allow the accommodation block and engine room to detach from the cargo holds which would then sail under battery powered podded propulsion for port, leaving the engine room with the nuclear reactor outside of port. Hyperion will provide the SMR and it
will lease the unit to the owner who will then pay for power-by-the-hour in much the same way as Rolls Royce leases its aero engines to owners of aircraſt who by the power. Any maintenance and repair work is provided through a contract with the engine manufacturer. This is a new concept for the
maritime industry, but it could well be a crucial point as the decommissioning, including the handling of nuclear waste will all be the responsibility of the power plant owner, Hyperion in this instance. Del Redvers, head of sustainability at BMT Group, admits this cost could be a stumbling block as the responsibility would fall to a privately owned commercial entity which cannot be expected to take on the responsibility for handling radioactive waste for what could amount to thousands of years. “Inevitably some of that cost will come
back onto the taxpayer,” he said, but he added that the technology for storing nuclear waste is improving. Cost is the most potent driver
The Naval Architect January 2011 t
in the development of any new technology and the design of the SMR is no different. Major companies are watching developments because the potential for eliminating CO2
, NOx
and SOx emissions from the pollutants that are emitted from the ship during operations. By leasing the SMR from a power
provider the problem of refuelling, storing fuel and handling radioactive
waste is passed on to a specialist organisation and is not the responsibility of the ship owner or operator. Nevertheless, the waste will still be generated and will need to be dealt with and as the Mediterranean Shipping Company discovered after the Napoli incident it is the company that has its name on the side of the ship that is the most visible. And as Maersk intimated perception is everything. NA
tough
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