As nuclear is already used on aircraft carriers, and with a major cargo ship not having a large crew including guests so it can be properly scrutinized and managed by engineers, why hasn’t this technology ever carried over for commercial operators?
Similarly for hydrogen, why (or are?) ship builders not trying to build hydrogen powered engines? Seeing the massive size of engines (and fuel) they have, could they make super-sized fuel cells and on-board synthesizing to no longer be reliant on gas?
In: Engineering
Nuclear: We tried, but a combination of costs and ports reluctant to receive them meant the idea did not catch on.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NS_Savannah](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NS_Savannah)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RV_Mirai](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RV_Mirai)
On Hydrogen, it is simply cost. Ships (excl some areas with restrictions near ports) burn the cheapest, nastiest fuel they can find. Hydrogen (Mostly it is made via steam reformation of natural gas, so is fossil fuel derived anyway) simply costs a lot more than this. Unless it is mandated, or massively subsidized, ship owners aren’t going to bother. Also you would have to do cryogenic storage to hold enough of it. Not a deal breaker, but it is technically challenging.
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