On: NASA May Decide This Year to Land a Drone on Satur...

[reaperducer]

It's already being done. Since 1955 in submarines. Since 1959 in ice breakers. Since 1962 in commercial shipping.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_marine_propulsion

[kolinko → reaperducer]

I wonder - why don't they use it for container ships and so on? I would imagine fuel savings there, and lower pollution would be immense.

[Armisael16 → kolinko]

Well, it does result in enriched nuclear material floating all over the ocean, ripe for the taking by pirates or nation-states that we'd rather not have access.

[russdill → Armisael16]

Hopefully one day we'll see fusion powered container ships.

[ianai → Armisael16]

So you use the same naval threat that we already use to deter idiots from our nuclear powered vessels.

[nradov → ianai]

Pirates still seize large merchant ships in Asian and African waters on a monthly basis. There are only a few hundred surface vessels capable of effective anti-piracy patrols worldwide from all navies and coast guards; they can't be everywhere at once.