Why nuclear merchant ships struggle economically

Will the United States build nuclear-powered merchant ships and more nuclear warships?

Nuclear carriers and perhaps surface combatants or specialized auxiliaries are plausible, but ordinary merchant ships face prohibitive economic, regulatory, crewing, and disposal problems.

A merchant reactor requires expensive specialist crews who can earn high salaries ashore, while marine diesel remains exceptionally efficient per ton of cargo moved. Nuclear certification would also restrict ports and complicate the ship's end-of-life disposal, where a commercial owner might disappear and leave a public liability. Icebreakers and unusually large auxiliaries are treated as more plausible special cases than normal container shipping.