Nuclear-Powered LNG Carriers Could Cut Fuel Costs by Up to 2.5 Times

A joint study between ABS (American Bureau of Shipping), Blossom Energy, and a global shipping company found that nuclear-powered liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers could reduce fuel costs by up to 2.5 times over their operating life.

The study examined a 174,000 CBM LNG carrier equipped with a 20-25 MWe high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) developed by Blossom Energy. The team compared vessel arrangement, propulsion systems, and operating conditions against conventional LNG-fuelled newbuilds.

Economics were evaluated across various regulatory penalty scenarios, and the study also assessed a business model treating the reactor as a long-term energy asset that could be reinstalled on a second vessel after the first reaches the end of its service life. This possibility was factored into the vessel's residual value.

According to Patrick Ryan, ABS Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, 'nuclear energy has the potential to fundamentally change the economics of commercial shipping'.