[joewp]

You're right, Tanada. The addicts want to remain blind to the inevitable. I have a feeling most will willingly curl up and die if they can't get their fuel for a few days.

[bratticus]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '[')b]Rising fuel costs could lead to nuclear-powered ships

Latest Research Channel
Jun 11, 2008

...The new bill represents an escalation of recent efforts to get the navy to use more nuclear fuel. The rising cost of oil means it is getting close to the point at which it will be more economic for the navy to use nuclear power, says Representative Roscoe Bartlett, a Maryland Republican, who backs the proposed measures. A 2007 study by the navy on alternative energy for ship propulsion indicated that the break-even price for nuclear propulsion for amphibious ships was an oil price of $178 dollars per barrel. We're now creeping up to that number - oil hit a new record of $133 a barrel today, he said in a statement on 21 May...

[nemo]

I've been pondering the same subject, but for civilian applications. With the ever-increasing size of container ships, I'd imagine that reactors would actually make some kind of financial sense at some point, and even more so at higher oil prices to come. Sure, there's a whole bunch of regulatory problems that, say, the US navy can probably deal with better than a commercial operator, but still...

Great big ships is pretty much the only mobile (civilian) application where fission makes any kind of sense.

[dorlomin]

Civilian ships will probibly never be nuclear powered, nuclear propulsion systems on ships needs near weapons grade uranium, totaly unlike land power stations, it needs this to be compact enough to fit in the hull.

Naval and most civilian ships have very different power requirements. Naval ships need high cruising speeds and maximum speeds, while most civilian vessels are far more focused on cost of journey. This is why naval ships often use gas or steam turbines and civilians use diesel or reciporicating steam engines.

The most likely change would be to heavy fuel oil (for the diesel boats), natural gas or back to old coal. Coal probibly being the most likely.

[Andy]

I can confidently predict that commercial nuclear powered ships will not happen. Too many attendant issues with security and cost that are amplified in a mobile application.

[lawnchair]

There were nuclear powered civilian ships in the early days. NS Savannah and the Otto Hahn from Germany. However, in this article, the good Representative is only discussing naval vessels. The US will maintain seapower through nukes for many, many years to come.

[emersonbiggins]

Can you imagine a nuke cargo ship hitting an offshore LNG terminal?

Our future is bright, indeed.

[Starvid]

There are lots of issues with nuclear powered merchant vessels. Very problematic.

And why would you even want to change? Giant bunker fuel burning cargo ships are incredibly energy efficient. And they can save lots of fuel by just steaming a little slower.

But if we would ever get nuclear merchant ships, they would be big ships, ships that carried high value goods and ships that wanted to go really fast. Stuff like (ironically) super tankers, automobile shippers and cruise liners.

A nuclear cruise liner... How cool wouldn't that be?! You could go from Southampton to New York in just 2,5 days.

[Dezakin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Starvid', 'A')nd why would you even want to change? Giant bunker fuel burning cargo ships are incredibly energy efficient. And they can save lots of fuel by just steaming a little slower.

[Dezakin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dorlomin', 'C')ivilian ships will probibly never be nuclear powered, nuclear propulsion systems on ships needs near weapons grade uranium, totaly unlike land power stations, it needs this to be compact enough to fit in the hull.

[Sys1]

I can't wait to see acid oceans crowded of nuclear ships transporting huge amount of soylent green to the remaining zombies of a dying civilization.

[frankthetank]

Cruise ships will make nice reefs or maybe they can anchor off the coast and be used for zombie jails.

[TheDude]

Baltimore Sun

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'W')ASHINGTON - Charts at the ready, notes spread out before him, Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett begins another address in the House of Representatives on the dangers of America's dependence on oil.

The Western Maryland Republican has given nearly 50 such speeches at the Capitol in the past three years, most of them variations on a theme: that a coming decline in petroleum production, coupled with growing demand for energy, will have a calamitous impact on the global economy.

"The world as a whole, and our country included, has appeared to behave as if these fossil fuels were inexhaustible," the former university professor lectures. "What we'll see shortly is that - as everyone will know, if you stop and think about it - that oil is finite."

[dohboi]

He just said that the world can never have another sustained period of economic growth because of our dependence on oil. He's talking about many other topics besides PO, though, especially vulnerabilities of the grid.link

[Newfie]

Missed it. What show was he on? Maybe I can download.

[wisconsin_cur]

Link below

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111889490

[Voice_du_More]

He's been kind of quiet for the last year or so. Did he give up on trying to get Congress to actually do something about our energy problem?

[dinopello]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dohboi', 'H')e just said that the world can never have another sustained period of economic growth because of our dependence on oil. He's talking about many other topics besides PO, though, especially vulnerabilities of the grid.link

[kjmclark]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Bartlett', 'W')hen we come out of this recession, the truth is that never, ever again can the world have sustained good times unless we do something about alternative energy because of our dependence on oil.

[Newfie]

No, what he said was OK. The problem is the nitwit contingent. You can't possible explain it in such a fashion to people who don't want to "get it" will "get it."

Ask Al Gore, he tried.