The Nuclear Ship Savannah, First Atomic Merchant Ship
9781465650726
330 pages
Library of Alexandria
Overview
The Declaration of Policy of the Merchant Marine Act of 1936 calls upon the Maritime Administration for the promotion and maintenance of an American Merchant Marine for trade and defense “composed of the best equipped, safest, and most suitable types of vessels.” The Atomic Energy Commission is engaged in the N.S. SAVANNAH project as a part of its responsibility under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 “to encourage widespread participation in the development and utilization of atomic energy for peaceful purposes to the maximum extent consistent with the common defense and security and with the health and safety of the public.” The Commission has the responsibility of providing a safely operable nuclear power plant for the vessel; instructions and regulations for the disposition of wastes; the use, handling, and disposal of source, special nuclear, and by-product material; and the health and safety aspects associated with these responsibilities. Ship safety ashore, abroad, on the high seas, and in port is of major interest to the Maritime Administration, the Atomic Energy Commission, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Public Health Service, and such private agencies as the American Bureau of Shipping. The N.S. SAVANNAH is constructed to meet or surpass every standard set by all of these responsible agencies and will have a substantial built-in safety margin in excess of the most stringent requirements of applicable standards, which are among the highest in the world. Where there were no existing standards every precaution in keeping with sound judgment and engineering experience has been applied in the construction and safety considerations of the ship.
