The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has granted basic design approval for a containership powered by molten salt reactors (MSRs), the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) said.

The approval means South Korean researchers working on the project have cleared a key hurdle in their efforts to develop designs for the containership.

KAERI is working jointly with the Korea Research Institute of Ships & Ocean Engineering and Samsung Heavy Industries on the design of a 15,000 20-foot equivalent unit (TEU) vessel with nuclear power.