Manufacturing line/Cargo vessels/Car carrier (Ro-Ro)
Autonomous · Cargo vessels

Car carrier (Ro-Ro)

Nine thousand vehicles on twelve decks, driven aboard by robots.

Phase 7 · 2033+Concept design
Capacity
9,000 cars
Decks
12, 4 hoistable
Fuel burn
≈ 2.0 g fissile / hr
Crew
0
I · Blueprint
Side elevation, live systems
DWL24681012AABBLOA 230 mDraft10.5 m0107141516220204060811190305121320210910171823
SECTION A–A · VEHICLE DECKS, LOOKING FORWARDSECTION B–B · REACTOR COMPARTMENTDWLBeam 40 mDraft10.5 mDeck 1Deck 5Deck 12Rotor sail beyondVent casing · air trunkHoistable deck panelPillarsSide ramp door, openVehicles, 12 decksDouble bottomShield plug · refuelling hatchPrimary salt pumpSteam generatorShielded compartment wallsReactor vessel · fuel salt in coreBattery bufferFuel-salt drain tank · freeze valveVehicle decks 5–12 aboveDouble bottomevery 20 years
01Automated stern quarter rampCargo
02Propeller, 5 blades, & rudderPropulsion
03Compact molten-salt reactor module, 45 MWtPower
04Shaft line & stern-tube sealPropulsion
05Power electronics & 2 MWh battery bufferPower
06Permanent-magnet propulsion motor & thrust blockPropulsion
0712 vehicle decks — 4 hoistable, 9,000 carsCargo
08Rotor sails × 3 — wind assistPropulsion
09Hull, double bottom & watertight bulkheadsStructure
10Sensor mast & autonomy core — no bridge, zero crewStructure
11Bow thrusterPropulsion
12Steam generatorPower
13Steam turbine-generatorPower
14Hoistable deck panelsCargo
15Fixed internal ramps between decksCargo
16Side ramp doorCargo
17Deck ventilation fans & air trunksStructure
18Bulbous bow & forepeakStructure
19Steering gear & aft peakPropulsion
20Fuel-salt drain tankPower
21Shielded reactor compartment & plugPower
22Robotic drivers bringing vehicles aboardCargo
23Fire-zone divisionsStructure
II · Power & drivetrain

A reactor below, the wind above.

Rotor sails harvest thrust from crosswinds and the reactor makes up the rest. The ship's autonomy core decides the split every few seconds.

Reactor module and rotor-sail drives — rotating view
A 45 MWt molten-salt reactor and a three-stage turbo-generator make 18 MWe. The switchboard feeds the 16 MW propulsion motor and, at right, the three rotor-sail drive motors that spin the 35 m rotors; the autonomy core sets the split between sails and shaft every few seconds.
01Molten-salt reactor vessel — 45 MWt, sealed 20-year core
02Primary salt pump — on the vessel head
03Steam generator — salt to supercritical steam
04Steam turbo-generator — 3 stages, 18 MWe net
05Condenser — sea-water cooled
06Propulsion motor — 13 MW at 19 kn with sails drawing, 16 MW without
07Rotor-sail drives — 3 × 150 kW, rotors at 180 rpm
08Main switchboard — one bus for shaft, sails, ramps and deck lifts
Propeller — 5 blades
Power plantMolten-salt reactor, 45 MWt
Shaft output≈ 13 MW at 19 kn, sails drawing
FuelLow-enriched uranium fuel salt
Consumption≈ 2.0 g fissile / hr
Metal content≈ 87% of lightship
Naked drivetrain — energy to motion
CUTAWAY · NOT TO SCALEcoreHeatexchangerSteamgeneratorTurbineGeneratorBattery2 MWhPM motorShaft≈ 13 MW at 19 kn,sails drawingPropeller5 bladesDrain tankfreeze valveReactor · 45 MWtPower electronicsPrimary salt pumpCoolant-saltpumpFeed pumpCondensersea waterThrust bearingStern tube · sealRotor sails × 3drive motorsRuddersteamcoolantsalt
III · How it is put together

Twelve decks in a box, four that lift.

The double bottom is laid with the shielded compartment floor aft, the box hull and fixed decks stack on pillars, and the reactor goes in before the decks above close. Hoistable decks, the stern ramp and three rotor sails are fitted afloat, then ramps and decks are load-tested before trials.

The flat double bottom is laid, with the shielded compartment floor aft.
Wide flat deck blocks stack on pillars into a tall enclosed box.
The reactor is lowered in before the decks above close.
Hoistable decks, ramps and three rotor sails are fitted afloat.
Ramps and decks are load-tested, then trials run with no crew.
I
Double bottom, compartment floor
II
Box hull and fixed decks
III
Reactor compartment and shaft
IV
Hoistable decks, ramps, sails
V
Ramp tests, trials, commissioning
IV · Specification

Concept specification.

Design specification for the autonomous car carrier (ro-ro).

Length overall
230 m
Beam
40 m
Capacity
9,000 cars
Decks
12, 4 hoistable
Loading
Stern ramp, robotic drivers
Wind assist
3 rotor sails
Power plant
Molten-salt reactor, 45 MWt
Consumption
≈ 2.0 g fissile / hr
Service speed
19 kn
Electric output
18 MWe net, 40% cycle
Shaft output
≈ 13 MW at 19 kn with sails
Rotor sails
3 × 35 m, ≈ 1 MW each in a fresh beam wind
Refuel interval
20 years
Metal content
≈ 87% of lightship
Crew
0 — fully autonomous
Onboard compute
Three AI modules; one drives the cars aboard
Modules3 AI modules (navigation; perception; cargo & plant — robotic loading, deck lifts, reactor plant, sail trim) + 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; ≈ 1.4 kW with 72 cameras, 4 lidars and 3 radars — 0.008% of the 18 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 cargo and plant, cargo and plant 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, ramp and deck-lift interlocks.
Sensors24 navigation cameras (visible and thermal) and 48 deck cameras (4 on each of the 12 decks), aggregated over automotive Ethernet through camera switches into the modules; 4 lidars for berthing, 3 radars, AIS, wind sensors on each rotor, 1,000 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 directs the robotic drivers over the stern ramp and the four hoistable decks against a stow plan The Brain fixed before arrival, and trims the rotor sails against the reactor load. Every command passes from the ship agent through the certified safety channel to the drives, ramps and deck lifts, and each 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, shaft, ramp and deck-lift interlocks on their own sensors (shaft and rudder encoders, neutron-flux channels, ramp and lift limit switches, a safety-rated radar).
Today vs IC
Power, wind and loading: today’s car carriers beside the IC design
Today · large car carrierIC design
Size10,800 cars on 14 decks (5 hoistable), 230 × 40 m, 19 kn9,000 cars on 12 decks (4 hoistable), 230 × 40 m, 19 kn
Machinery1 × dual-fuel two-stroke on LNG or marine gas oil, direct drive, 1.45 MW shaft generatorMolten-salt reactor, 45 MWt → 18 MWe; 16 MW electric motor → 1 propeller
Fuel burn45–75 t of fuel a day at 18–19 kn≈ 47 g of fissile fuel a day
WindRare: the first 46 m wing sail went to sea on a working ship in 20263 rotor sails, ≈ 3 MW in a fresh beam wind
LoadingPort drivers take every car aboard over the stern rampRobotic drivers, stow plan fixed by The Brain before arrival
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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