Manufacturing line/Cargo vessels/Container ship
Autonomous · Cargo vessels

Container ship

24,000 boxes, zero crew, twenty years between refuelings.

Phase 7 · 2033+Concept design
Capacity
24,000 TEU
Power plant
180 MWt reactor
Fuel burn
≈ 7.9 g fissile / hr
Crew
0
I · Blueprint
Side elevation, live systems
DWLLOA 400 mCargo block · 24,000 TEU8 tierson deck8 tiersin hold030810151718070914160212130501040611SECTION A–A · THROUGH A HOLD, LOOKING FORWARDDWL24 rows acrossDeck stack, 8 tiersLashing rodsPontoon hatch coverWing ballast tankDouble bottomHatch coamingSheer strakeCell guidesHold, 8 tiersReefer boxBeam 61 mB · COAMING & SHEER STRAKEwing tankContainer on hatch coverPontoon hatch coverCoaming top plateCoaming side plateMain deckSheer strakeInner-hull top strakeCell guideSide shellThick high-strength steel: H36 / H40 at 50–100 mm,H47 up to 100 mm; crack-arrest EH47 for this dutyC · REACTOR, SCHEMATICSecondary loopto steam generatorShieldControl rodsFuel salt in coreHeat exchangerPrimary pumpMolten-salt reactor, 180 MWtRefuel interval 20 years
01Propeller & rudderPropulsion
02Compact molten-salt reactor modulePower
03Sensor mast & autonomy core — no bridge, zero crew · IC designStructure
04Shaft line, thrust & plummer bearings, stern tubePropulsion
05Power electronics & 6 MWh battery bufferPower
06Permanent-magnet propulsion motorPropulsion
07Cargo holds — cell guides, 8 tiers below deckCargo
08Hull, double bottom & watertight bulkheadsStructure
09Deck stacks — up to 8 tiers, 24,000 TEU totalCargo
10Lashing bridges with robotic lashingStructure
11Bow thrusterPropulsion
12Steam generator on the secondary loopPower
13Steam turbine-generatorPower
14Pontoon hatch covers on coamingsCargo
15BreakwaterStructure
16Reefer containersCargo
17Bulbous bow & forepeak ballastStructure
18Windlass & mooring deckStructure
II · Power & drivetrain

A reactor where the engine room used to be.

A sealed molten-salt reactor heats a secondary loop, spins a turbine-generator and feeds an all-electric drive. No bunkering, no exhaust, and the shaft line is short enough to see end to end.

Reactor module — rotating view
The sealed molten-salt reactor heats a salt loop; the steam generator turns that heat into supercritical steam for a four-stage turbine on a common shaft with the generator. Turbine and generator rotors spin; the loop pipes show flow direction.
01Molten-salt reactor vessel — 180 MWt, fuel salt at ≈ 650 °C, sealed 20-year core
02Primary salt pump — on the vessel head, 6-blade impeller
03Steam generator — salt to supercritical steam, 4 tube passes
04Steam turbine — 4 stages, 3,600 rpm, 76 MW gross at 42% cycle efficiency
05Turbo-generator — 72 MWe net to the ship’s bus (right)
06Condenser — sea-water cooled, under the turbine
07Decay-heat drain tank — passive, under the vessel
08Main switchboard — feeds the 60 MW propulsion motor and 8 MW of reefers and hotel load
Propeller — 5 blades
Power plantMolten-salt reactor, 180 MWt
Shaft output60 MW from a 72 MWe plant
FuelLow-enriched uranium fuel salt
Consumption≈ 7.9 g fissile / hr
Metal content≈ 88% of lightship
Naked drivetrain — energy to motion
III · How it is put together

Built in blocks, joined, then brought to life.

Blocks are fabricated in parallel, joined in sequence, and the power module and autonomy core go in last. The loop below replays the build order.

POWER MODULE
I
Keel & double-bottom blocks
II
Hull blocks joined in dry dock
III
Power module lowered in
IV
Sensor mast & autonomy core fitted
V
Unmanned sea trials
IV · Specification

Concept specification.

Design specification for the autonomous container ship.

Length overall
400 m
Beam
61 m
Capacity
24,000 TEU
Gross tonnage
≈ 235,000
Power plant
Molten-salt reactor, 180 MWt
Shaft output
60 MW from 72 MWe
Fuel
Low-enriched uranium fuel salt
Consumption
≈ 7.9 g fissile / hr
Service speed
22 kn
Refuel interval
20 years
Metal content
≈ 88% of lightship
Crew
0 — fully autonomous
Onboard compute
Four AI modules run the ship; the planning model sails with it
Modules4 AI modules (navigation; perception forward; perception aft; engineering & reactor-plant monitoring) + 2 certified safety controllers
CPU64 cores (4 × 16) + 4 lockstep real-time cores per module
AI throughput20,000 TOPS total (4 × 5,000, INT8 / FP4 sparse)
Memory4 × 128 GB LPDDR6, 600 GB/s per module; 8 TB solid-state log, 30-day voyage record
Power draw400 W compute; ≈ 1.2 kW with 24 cameras, 4 lidars and 3 radars — 0.002% of the 72 MWe plant
Process node2 nm-class SoC; safety controllers on a mature 16 nm node, 15-year supply
RedundancyEvery sensor is wired to two modules. Each module is primary for its zone and hot standby for its pair: navigation with engineering, perception forward with perception aft. Any one module can bring the ship to a safe drift or anchorage. Two independent SIL 3 safety controllers hold the reactor trip, steering and shaft interlocks.
Sensors24 cameras (visible and thermal) aggregated over automotive Ethernet through camera switches into the modules, 4 lidars for berthing, 3 radars (X and S band), AIS, echo sounder, 1,200 plant sensors
LinkLow-orbit satellite at sea (plan updates each minute; the planning model runs aboard); fibre and private 5G in port
Service lifeCompute is a line-replaceable unit, swapped at mid-life with the year-20 refuelling; the hull and plant run 40 years
At sea the satellite link is thin, so the ship carries its own copy of the planning model and keeps sailing the plan if the link drops. Every command passes from the ship agent through the certified safety channel to the drives, and the propulsion drive closes its own current loop every 1 ms. A software fault can never drive the ship outside its certified safe envelope: two SIL 3 controllers hold the reactor trip, steering and shaft interlocks on their own sensors (shaft and rudder encoders, neutron-flux and salt-temperature channels, a safety-rated radar) that no software update can reach. In port the ship joins the terminal’s common operating picture and its berth, cranes and departure slot are planned as one job.
Today vs IC
Layout and power: today’s largest ships beside the IC design
Today · ultra-large container shipIC design
DeckhouseDeckhouse and bridge about 1/3 of the way from the bow, forward of the engine roomNo deckhouse. Sensor mast and autonomy core aft, over the reactor module
MachineryEngine room aft: 1 × 11-cylinder two-stroke diesel, 92 cm bore, ≈ 71 MW rated, ≈ 61 MW in serviceReactor module aft: molten-salt reactor, 180 MWt → 72 MWe turbo-generator
DriveDirect-coupled shaft, no gearbox → 1 fixed-pitch propellerAll-electric drive, 60 MW motor → 1 propeller; 8 MW left for reefers and hotel load
FuelHeavy fuel oil with exhaust scrubbersLow-enriched uranium fuel salt, sealed 20-year core
Fuel burn180–260 t of fuel oil a day at 22–24 kn≈ 190 g of fissile fuel a day (≈ 7.9 g / hr)
CrewCrewed: bridge and engine-room watches around the clock0. Supervised from shore through The Brain
The IC column is the design shown on this page. Sources for the Today column are listed in BUILD_NOTES.md.
Runs on The Brain
Every movement of this machine is planned by The Brain’s orchestration layer, mirrored in the port’s digital twin, and re-planned the moment reality drifts.
See how it works →
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