China unveils next-gen reactor for the world’s largest cargo ship PHOTO

China has revealed major new details about its groundbreaking cargo vessel — a nuclear-powered ship capable of carrying 14,000 standard containers.

The vessel’s revolutionary feature is its thorium-based molten salt reactor (TMSR) with 200 megawatts of thermal output, matching the power level of the S6W pressurised-water reactor on the US Navy’s Seawolf-class submarines, Caliber.Az reports via South China Morning Post (SCMP).

If successfully deployed at scale, the technology could mark a paradigm shift in commercial shipping.

Unlike uranium-fueled nuclear reactors, which require powerful cooling systems, China’s new reactor uses thorium — a safer fuel that does not require water for cooling.

The thorium reactor will generate 50 MW of electricity, enough to allow the container ship to operate for years at sea without refuelling.

For emergencies, the vessel will also be equipped with a 10 MW backup diesel generator.

The report notes that this technology could revolutionise both commercial shipping and naval shipbuilding if it proves effective in practice and achieves widespread adoption.

The ship’s concept was initially disclosed in 2023, but with so few technical details available, its true scale remained largely unknown until these latest revelations.

By Jeyhun Aghazada