Mutsu
Mutsu is a nuclear-powered cargo ship operated by Japan, powered by Integral PWR of about 36 MWt. Retired.
Dogged by technical and political problems from the start, it suffered a radiation leak on its first voyage and was refused entry to its home port. An expensive failure.
| Reactor | Integral PWR |
|---|---|
| Reactors per vessel | 1 |
| Thermal output | 36MWt |
| Fuel enrichment | not disclosed |
| Refuelling | not disclosed |
| Category | cargo ship |
|---|---|
| Role | civil |
| Operator | Japan |
| Country | Japan |
| Vessels in class | 1 |
| In service from | 1970 |
| Status | Retired |
Other cargo ships
| Class | Enrichment | Status |
|---|---|---|
| NS Savannah | LEU | Retired |
| NS Sevmorput | - | Operating |
| Otto Hahn | - | Retired |
Mutsu in context
It is one of 4 cargo ship programs on record, 1 of them operating and 3 retired.
Each of its reactors is rated about 36 MWt; across the 4 cargo ship programs with a stated rating the median is 55 MWt, and this one ranks 3rd.
It entered service in 1970, 56 years ago; the cargo ship programs on record entered service between 1962 and 1988, and this one is the 3rd earliest of 4.
| Measure | Mutsu | Median of cargo ship programs | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thermal power per reactor (MWt) | 36 | 55 | 3 of 4 |
| Entered service | 1970 | 9840985 | 3 of 4 (earliest first) |
Worked out from the entries on this site only, so a figure compares Mutsu with what is recorded here, not with everything that exists. An entry with no value for a measure is left out of that measure's ranking and median.
Sources
- World Nuclear Association, Nuclear-Powered Ships · retrieved 2026-09-07
How these sources are used, including the corrections applied on top of them and what is deliberately left blank · download the underlying data