Military vessels have relied on atomic energy for decades, but now commercial shipbuilders are attempting to tap the technology.

Nuclear-powered ships could also reduce downtime by cutting out the need to refuel. The typical container ship spends a total of about a month of every year just refueling, according to Sangmin Park, a vice president with HD Korea Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering, who’s leading the company’s effort to develop a nuclear ship. The reactors under consideration for cargo ships may have enough nuclear fuel to last for decades, which is essentially the entire expected lifecycle of the vessel.

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Nuclear-Powered Cargo Ships Promise Cleaner, Faster Transport