The exploitation of nuclear energy in the maritime world is rare, traced in navies and icebreaker fleets. In the core of a nuclear reactor, a fission nuclear chain reaction takes place, based on fission of uranium nuclei, releasing a huge amount of heat, which produces steam that drives turbines to produce electricity and power the vessel. All above and belowwater vessels use a pressure water reactor that is cooled with ordinary water. The development of nuclear propulsion began after the end of World War II, first followed by development for warships and later for the merchant navy. Only four merchant ships have been launched in the world and only one is still sailing, due to excessive operating and maintenance costs and many countries around the world do not allow nuclear-powered ships to enter their ports. High costs are also problematic in navies, as this is non-refundable money invested. Nevertheless, nuclear propulsion will not be excluded from the navies in the future, as this will give the vessel a lot of capacity, maneuverability and speed, which is crucial on such vessels.
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