China has built a floating island equipped with nuclear power, wind turbines and hydrogen for future maritime transport

The Jiangnan Shipyard (a part of China State Shipbuilding) presented a “floating island” concept at a Greek exhibition—a self‑contained maritime infrastructure designed for green logistics.

What is it?
* The platform will include:
* a container loading and storage terminal;
* battery charging stations;
* a hydrogen production plant.
* The entire energy complex will power the platform autonomously—an on‑board molten salt nuclear reactor using thorium fuel.

Why is this needed?
Shipping is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gases in transportation. To cut emissions, engineers are developing vessels that run on:
* electricity,
* hydrogen,
* methane,
* ammonia,
* even sails.
A floating island would service such ships out at sea, far from shore: charging batteries while loading containers or refueling them with hydrogen.

Molten salt technology
* Liquid salt acts as a coolant and, in some designs, the medium for fuel assemblies.
* Its high thermal conductivity allows large amounts of energy to be stored.
* Cooling does not require a traditional water system.
* Fuel is dissolved in the melt, making it inaccessible to saboteurs and eliminating explosion risk—the reactor is physically safe.

How does this relate to previous projects?
Jiangnan Shipyard has already presented the KUN‑24AP container ship concept with a thorium molten salt reactor. In 2023, Norwegian organization DNV issued it an “Approval in Principle” certificate (preliminary approval).

Thus, the “floating island” can be seen as the logical next step: not just an atomic vessel but an atomic maritime infrastructure that brings together all elements of a clean shipping network into one safe, remote system away from populated areas.