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Originally Posted by yvanleterrible
There are many reasons but first I must say that I agree with you. It probably is the best direction to use.
Reason #1: Security threats. Any country could be then admitted to nuclear status. Limiting shipping to nuclear countries is virtually impossible. The biggest shipping lines are not nuclear responsible.
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Fuel from a nuclear reactor cannot be used to create nuclear weapons. This is a popular misconception. Nuclear fuel is only mildly enriched; weapons-grade material requires a very high level of enrichment.
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#3: Decommissionning a nuclear ship would also be prohibitive.
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The type of nuclear powerplant used in ships and submarines is a completely self-contained unit (primarily built by Westinghouse in the USA). There are no decommissioning costs - when it needs refueling, or the vessel is scrapped, you literally unbolt the thing, hoist it out of the ship, and take it back to the factory.
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#4: Any ship sinking would absolutely have to be retrieved. Wherever it sinks. Think of a situation 4km down... Nautical accidents are more frequent than we wish to think.
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Again, these powerplants are built with that eventuality in mind. They are enormously strong and will survive any conceivable accident in one piece, remaining intact on the ocean floor pretty much indefinitely.