Manufacturing line/Cargo vessels/Bulk carrier
Autonomous · Cargo vessels

Bulk carrier

Ore, grain and coal in five hopper holds, loaded by its own robotic cranes.

Phase 7 · 2033+Concept design
Deadweight
180,000 t
Holds
5, hopper-sided
Fuel burn
≈ 2.2 g fissile / hr
Crew
0
I · Blueprint
Side elevation, live systems
DWLHOLD 5HOLD 4HOLD 3HOLD 2HOLD 1AABBLOA 292 mDraft18 m031711190916181007080521021314201501040612
SECTION A–A · HOLD 3, LOOKING FORWARDSECTION B–B · REACTOR COMPARTMENTDWLBeam 45 mDraft 18 mTopside wing ballast tankHatch coamingSide shell & framesHopper ballast tankDouble-bottom ballast tankBilge keelSide-rolling hatch cover, openingCover rail on deckBulk cargo, trimmedDuct keelInner bottom (tank top)Shield plug · refuelling hatchPrimary salt pumpSteam generatorShielded compartment wallsReactor vessel · fuel salt in coreBattery bufferFuel-salt drain tank · freeze valveDouble bottomevery 20 yearsBattery buffer
01Propeller, 5 blades, & rudderPropulsion
02Compact molten-salt reactor module, 50 MWtPower
03Sensor mast & autonomy core — no bridge, zero crewStructure
04Shaft line & stern-tube sealPropulsion
05Power electronics & 2 MWh battery bufferPower
06Permanent-magnet propulsion motor & thrust blockPropulsion
07Hopper-sided cargo holds × 5Cargo
08Bulk cargo — ore, grain, coalCargo
09Hull, double bottom & floorsStructure
10Autonomous deck cranes — 4 × 35 tCargo
11Side-rolling hatch covers on coamingsStructure
12Bow thrusterPropulsion
13Steam generatorPower
14Steam turbine-generatorPower
15Steering gear & aft peakPropulsion
16Corrugated bulkheads on stoolsStructure
17Topside wing & hopper ballast tanksStructure
18Bulbous bow & forepeak tankStructure
19Windlass, anchor & mooring deckStructure
20Fuel-salt drain tankPower
21Shielded reactor compartment & plugPower
II · Power & drivetrain

Slow, heavy, constant: the load a reactor wants.

Bulk trades run long routes at steady speed. A small reactor sized for 14.5 knots runs at near-constant load for decades, the regime reactors like best.

Compact reactor module — rotating view
A 50 MWt molten-salt reactor with a steam generator on each side and its two salt pumps on top. One four-stage turbo-generator makes 20 MWe; the propulsion motor at right takes 17 MW at 14.5 knots; in port the same bus runs the four 400 kW deck-crane hoists.
01Molten-salt reactor vessel — 50 MWt, sealed 20-year core
02Steam generators — 2, one each side
03Primary salt pumps — 2, on the steam-generator heads
04Steam turbo-generator — 4 stages, 20 MWe net, 3,600 rpm
05Condenser — sea-water cooled
06Propulsion motor — 17 MW at 14.5 kn, single shaft
07Main switchboard — feeds the 4 × 400 kW deck-crane hoists
08Steady load — reactor at ≈ 95% for the whole passage
Propeller — 5 blades
Power plantMolten-salt reactor, 50 MWt
Shaft output≈ 17 MW at 14.5 kn
FuelLow-enriched uranium fuel salt
Consumption≈ 2.2 g fissile / hr
Metal content≈ 91% of lightship
Naked drivetrain — energy to motion
CUTAWAY · NOT TO SCALEcoreHeatexchangerSteamgeneratorTurbineGeneratorBattery2 MWhPM motorShaft≈ 17 MW at 14.5 knPropeller5 bladesDrain tankfreeze valveReactor · 50 MWtPower electronicsPrimary salt pumpCoolant-saltpumpFeed pumpCondensersea waterThrust bearingStern tube · sealRuddersteamcoolantsalt
III · How it is put together

Five hopper holds, one shielded compartment aft.

Double-bottom and hopper blocks set the keel aft of hold 5, side shell and topside tanks rise, and the corrugated bulkheads stand on their stools before the shielded compartment closes around the reactor. Covers and cranes go on afloat and are tested before the ship runs its trials with no one aboard.

The keel block and hopper tanks form the floor of every hold.
Side shell and topside tanks rise, bulkheads stand on their stools.
The shielded compartment closes around the reactor, capped by a plug.
Rolling hatch covers and four deck cranes are lifted aboard.
Covers tested for tightness, cranes load-tested, then trials without crew.
I
Double bottom, duct keel, hoppers
II
Topside tanks, stools, corrugated bulkheads
III
Shielded compartment, reactor, shaft
IV
Hatch covers and deck cranes
V
Trials, crane tests, commissioning
IV · Specification

Concept specification.

Design specification for the autonomous bulk carrier.

Length overall
292 m
Beam
45 m
Deadweight
180,000 t
Holds
5, hopper-sided
Deck cranes
4 × 35 t, autonomous
Hatch covers
Side-rolling, hydraulic
Power plant
Molten-salt reactor, 50 MWt
Consumption
≈ 2.2 g fissile / hr
Service speed
14.5 kn
Electric output
20 MWe net, 40% cycle
Shaft output
≈ 17 MW at 14.5 kn
Crane hoists
4 × 400 kW, 35 t with grab at 1 m/s
Refuel interval
20 years
Metal content
≈ 91% of lightship
Crew
0 — fully autonomous
Onboard compute
Three AI modules; one runs the cranes
Modules3 AI modules (navigation; perception; plant & cargo — reactor plant, deck cranes, hold monitoring) + 2 certified safety controllers
CPU48 cores (3 × 16) + 4 lockstep real-time cores per module
AI throughput15,000 TOPS total (3 × 5,000, INT8 / FP4 sparse)
Memory3 × 128 GB LPDDR6, 600 GB/s per module; 8 TB solid-state voyage log
Power draw300 W compute; ≈ 1.1 kW with 20 cameras, 4 lidars and 3 radars — 0.006% of the 20 MWe plant
Process node2 nm-class SoCs; 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 the next: navigation backs perception, perception backs plant and cargo, plant and cargo backs navigation. Any one module can bring the ship to a safe drift or anchorage. Two independent SIL 3 safety controllers hold the reactor trip, steering, shaft and crane interlocks.
Sensors20 cameras (visible and thermal) aggregated over automotive Ethernet through camera switches into the modules, 4 lidars for berthing and crane work, 3 radars, AIS, echo sounder, hold gas and moisture sensors, 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
The cargo module drives the four deck cranes through the same certified interlocks a port crane uses, so the ship loads and discharges at a bare quay. Every command passes from the ship agent through the certified safety channel to the drives and crane hoists, and each drive closes its own current loop every 1 ms. A software fault can never drive the ship outside its certified safe envelope, at sea or with its cranes working: two SIL 3 controllers hold the reactor trip, steering, shaft and crane interlocks on their own sensors (shaft and rudder encoders, neutron-flux channels, crane load cells and limit switches, a safety-rated radar). The reactor runs at ≈ 95% for the whole passage, the steady load a small reactor wants.
Today vs IC
Power and cargo gear: today’s Capesize beside the IC design
Today · Capesize bulk carrierIC design
Size≈ 170,000 dwt, ≈ 290 × 45 m, 18 m draft180,000 dwt, 292 × 45 m, 18 m draft
Machinery1 × two-stroke diesel on heavy fuel oil, direct drive; the largest ore carriers run 29 MW at 78 rpmMolten-salt reactor, 50 MWt → 20 MWe; 17 MW electric motor → 1 propeller
Fuel burn≈ 68 t of heavy fuel oil a day at minimum prescribed power≈ 53 g of fissile fuel a day at 14.5 kn
Cargo gearGearless: shore loaders fill it and shore grabs empty it4 × 35 t autonomous deck cranes; loads and discharges at a bare quay
Crew33 on the largest ore carriers0. 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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Livestock carrier →← Oil tanker