NUCLEAR POWER?

Some in the yachting industry are already looking beyond hydrogen to a source of clean energy they say is even more efficient: thorium. It yields a grade of uranium which generates heat when it undergoes fission in a nuclear reactor, but it has several key benefits over standard uranium. Thorium is much more abundant, it produces less than 1% of the nuclear waste of other isotopes and it is much harder to weaponise.

“The benefits are of course extremely attractive: no more refuelling and potentially a quiet, fail safe source of abundant zero carbon energy,” says Simon Brealey of Lateral Naval Architects. He admits there are huge hurdles, but hopes they will be overcome.

“I see the possibility of floating nuclear reactors being deployed to perhaps create some of the alternative fuels of tomorrow for large yachting.”