Imagine that you are traveling on a cruise holiday between parts of the world or in Norwegian fjords with ships that go much faster than today and completely without CO2 emissions. – This is not an unattainable vision, but entirely possible. If we want, we can get it done quickly, says Professor Jan Emblemsvåg at NTNU in Ålesund. RESEARCHER: Professor Jan Emblemsvåg at NTNU believes that reactor-powered ships are the way to go to achieve emission-free shipping. Photo: Josef Benoni Ness Tveit / news The cruise industry is working with emission-free solutions based on electricity, hydrogen, ammonia and methanol, but is still far from a solution. Therefore, the focus will now be on nuclear power. Tourists say no In the center of Ålesund, several cruise tourists news talks to are skeptical about boarding a ship that runs on nuclear power. Ines Steen from Berlin has spent the last few days on board Hurtigruten Expeditions’ “Otto Sverdrup”. She does not believe in nuclear power. – I don’t want to feel comfortable because nuclear technology still seems a bit dangerous. No, I wouldn’t have taken such a ship. DOESN’T WANT: Ines Steen from Berlin does not want to vacation on a cruise ship that runs on nuclear power. In recent days, she has been a passenger on the cruise ship “Otto Sverdrup” and went ashore in Ålesund. Photo: Josef Benoni Tveit / news – No danger of a nuclear accident Emblemsvåg assures that the new reactors cannot be compared to the one that melted down in Chernobyl, or those used on today’s nuclear-powered icebreakers, submarines and aircraft carriers. – We are looking at salt melting or lead reactors that cannot go into the air or melt, he says. He recently received ten million kroner from the Norwegian Research Council for his nuclear project Nuclear Propulsion of Merchant Ships. Emblemsvåg is hunting for the best-owned nuclear reactor for ships. In the first instance, the small SMR reactors are applicable on large cargo ships. In the next phase, it is the cruise ship’s turn. REACTOR. A thorium-based salt fusion reactor of this type may be relevant in cruise ships. Photo: K. Furukawa/H. Numata / Electrochemistry Emblemsvåg believes that within ten years it will be possible to convert cruise ships to reactor technology. – With nuclear operation, cruise ships will easily enter and leave Norwegian fjords without any emissions. The ships can also go faster than today because they get far more energy, says Emblemsvåg. No approval scheme Today there are no licensing processes or government actors that can approve Norwegian nuclear power plants. It must be in place before the use of nuclear power in Norway can possibly be approved. Attitudes towards Norwegian nuclear power have changed significantly recently. A few years ago, there was almost unison opposition to nuclear power in Norway. Today, the majority of Norwegian men believe that we should invest in nuclear power to solve the energy crisis. In comparison, the resistance to nuclear power is lower than the resistance to onshore wind power. Will seize Europe’s electricity production If shipping traffic is to become emission-free, we may need to depend on reactor technology. Because it will take enormous amounts of energy to make shipping traffic climate-friendly. Each of the 580 largest container ships in the world uses between 250 and 350 tonnes of heavy oil daily. Converted to electricity, this corresponds to nearly half of Europe’s annual electricity production. In addition, there are large tankers, dry bulk ships, cruise ships and many more. If we look at the global consumption of heavy oil, a conversion to green ammonia will require double the entire EU’s total electricity production. – This does not add up and tells a little about why we are dependent on reactor operation, says Emblemsvåg. ENVIRONMENTAL WINE: Converted to electricity, the 580 largest container ships in the world will seize almost half of Europe’s annual electricity production. There was a fire on the ship when it was docked in Hamburg in 2016. Photo: Daniel Bockwoldt Uncertain about the new technology Ole C. Reistad is head of the Department of Environmental Safety and Radiation Protection at the Department of Energy Engineering. He does not share Emblemsvåg’s enthusiasm. – It is a pure hypothesis from Emblemsvåg that a new nuclear technology, which has not even gone through long-term trials, will be less controversial, says Reistad. – But Emblemsvåg claims the new technologist will be much safer, and that it will be impossible for these reactors to melt down or explode. Don’t you believe anything about it? – It remains to be seen. There is a long way to go before this technology can be very good on ships. Reistad believes that one must rather invest in existing nuclear technology in ships and that it may still be accepted on ships due to the energy crisis. UNSURE: Head of the department for environmental safety and radiation protection at the Department of Energy Engineering, Ole C. Reistad, believes that it is negative attitudes towards nuclear power on civilian ships that are the challenge. Not the technical solutions. Photo: Press photo – Could be the future in Flåm Assistant port manager Jon-Olav Stedje in Flåm in Sogn thinks nuclear power on cruise ships is an exciting idea. – This could be the future, he says. Flåm and the world heritage fjord The Nærøyfjord is one of Norway’s biggest cruise destinations, but from 2026 it may end. The rules on zero emissions from cruise ships in world heritage fjords from 2026 mean that both Flåm and Geiranger risk collapse in tourist traffic. – In the short term, the regulations must be softened so that cruise traffic in Flåm and Geiranger will have a future. In the longer term, reactor-powered cruise ships may be the solution, he says. POSITIVE: Assistant port manager Jon-Olav Stedje in Flåm believes a future with nuclear-powered cruise ships completely without CO2 emissions seems promising. Photo: Jørgen Eide / news A political question Rolf Sandvik in Northern Explorer also believes that nuclear power may be the way to go. The company recently entered into a letter of intent to build several small expedition cruise ships. – Batteries and hydrogen are definitely not the final answers. Nuclear power can be it, says Sandvik, who is a former skipper of large cruise ships. INTERESTED: CEO Rolf Sandvik of Northern Explorer dreams of one of his ships running on nuclear power in the future. Photo: Bård Siem / news If nuclear power on civilian ships is to become a reality, politicians must be convinced that this is the way to go. One of them is Energy Minister Terje Aasland (Ap). – Nuclear power has a number of demanding aspects related to costs, safety and not least when it comes to the storage of waste. Our assessment is that nuclear power is not a current issue in Norway, Aasland told VG in September. . NEGATIVE: Energy Minister Terje Aasland (Ap) says nuclear power in Norway as of today is out of the question. Photo: Lise Åserud
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Professor wants nuclear-powered cruise ships – news Vestland
