What was the name of the first nuclear powered merchant cargo ship?
Nuclear marine propulsion Russian LASH carrier with icebreaking capability, has operated successfully on the Northern Sea Route since it was commissioned in 1988. , it is the only nuclear-powered merchant ship in service. Civilian nuclear ships suffer from the costs of specialized infrastructure. The Savannah was expensive to operate since it was the only vessel using its specialized nuclear shore staff and servicing facility. A larger fleet could share fixed costs among more operating vessels, reducing operating costs. Recently there has been renewed interest in nuclear propulsion, and some proposals have been drafted. For example, the cargo coaster is a new design for
Mutsu (nuclear ship) Mutsu (nuclear ship) Mutsu was Japan's first, and only nuclear-powered ship. It was built as a nuclear merchant ship, one of four such vessels ever constructed, but never carried commercial cargo. The reactor was completed on 25 August 1972, and fuel was loaded on 4 September. When officials announced that the first test run was to be run at the pier in Ōminato, local protests forced them to reconsider. Eventually it was decided to test the ship in the open ocean, east of Cape Shiriya. The ship departed Ōminato on 26 August 1974, and the reactor attained criticality on 28