China is advancing plans to build a 14,000-TEU ship powered by a thorium-based molten salt reactor, aiming to pioneer zero-emission nuclear propulsion in commercial shipping, reports Singapore's Splash 247.

Chinese authorities have approved preliminary safety assessments, but international regulatory challenges remain. The International Maritime Organization has yet to establish operational frameworks for nuclear-powered merchant ships.

The vessel will be developed by China State Shipbuilding Corporation in collaboration with China National Nuclear Corporation. It will feature a closed-loop thorium molten salt reactor system, eliminating the need for conventional bunker fuels and generating several hundred megawatts of thermal energy.

Design work is underway at Shanghai Merchant Ship Design & Research Institute, with completion expected in 2026. Construction may begin before 2030 at a CSSC-affiliated yard. If realised, the ship would be the first of its kind to use thorium MSR technology, which Chinese engineers favour for its safety and scalability over uranium reactors.

Jiangnan Shipyard previously showcased a 24,000-TEU vessel design using molten salt reactor technology at the Marintec China exhibition, which returns next month.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences confirmed the successful conversion of thorium to uranium fuel in a 2-MW thermal liquid-fuelled molten salt reactor. It is the only operating reactor globally to have introduced thorium fuel, demonstrating the viability of thorium in nuclear marine applications.