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This company aims to construct a fusion reactor — aboard a ship

This company aims to construct a fusion reactor — aboard a ship

Bitget-RWA2025/11/24 15:21
By:Bitget-RWA

To date, just one fusion device on the planet has achieved a crucial scientific milestone, yet Maritime Fusion’s CEO Justin Cohen is already planning to install a fusion reactor aboard a vessel.

Hear me out — this idea isn’t as outlandish as it might seem. Recent breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, computational power, and superconducting magnet technology have brought fusion energy closer to commercial viability than ever before. The conversation is shifting from whether fusion will happen to when it will become a reality. When that day arrives, fusion could provide vast amounts of clean energy using an abundant resource: water.

The concept of mounting a reactor on a ship isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds. Nuclear fission reactors already power submarines and aircraft carriers, allowing them to traverse oceans quietly and efficiently for years without refueling. In fact, the commercial shipping industry even experimented with nuclear-powered cargo vessels in the 1960s and 1970s.

“Fission has certainly set the stage for nuclear propulsion at sea,” Cohen, Maritime Fusion’s co-founder, explained to TechCrunch.

Fusion could offer ships similar advantages, but without the risks of meltdown, proliferation, or harmful radiation. So far, most efforts have concentrated on building land-based reactors. “To my knowledge, we’re the first to seriously consider what it would take to install a tokamak on a ship,” Cohen said, referencing a prominent fusion reactor model.

Should fusion technology succeed, Maritime’s move to marine applications could give it a significant lead. Cohen also believes that, from a business standpoint, launching at sea might actually be more practical.

Initial fusion power plants will be expensive, and prices are unlikely to drop quickly.

“It’s extremely tough to compete with solar and wind on price when it comes to the power grid,” Cohen remarked.

However, the financial landscape is different on the ocean. Ammonia and hydrogen are currently the main alternatives to diesel and bunker fuel for cargo ships, but both remain costly options.

“Those fuels are among the few that could rival the high cost of first-generation fusion,” Cohen noted. “In those scenarios, we can actually compete head-to-head.”

To further develop its vision and begin producing components for its inaugural reactor, Maritime Fusion has secured $4.5 million in seed funding, led by Trucks VC and joined by Aera VC, Alumni Ventures, Paul Graham, Y Combinator, and several angel investors, the company exclusively shared with TechCrunch. Maritime Fusion participated in Y Combinator’s winter 2025 cohort.

According to Cohen, Maritime has started assembling high-temperature superconducting (HTS) cables using tape sourced mainly from Japanese suppliers. These cables will be essential for the powerful magnets needed to contain the plasma in the tokamak. The company also plans to sell these cables to other firms to generate revenue while developing its own power plant.

This company aims to construct a fusion reactor — aboard a ship image 0 Maritime Fusion’s superconducting cable is tested at the company’s facility. Image Credits:Maritime Fusion

The startup anticipates that its first plant, called Yinsen, will be capable of producing approximately 30 megawatts of electricity.

Cohen pointed out that some of the most complex engineering hurdles will involve designing the systems that extract energy and maintain the tokamak’s operation. To streamline the ship’s equipment, certain auxiliary processes, such as fuel handling, will be managed on land, he added.

Maritime’s initial tokamak will measure about eight meters in diameter, with the company aiming for it to be operational by 2032 at an estimated cost of $1.1 billion.

For context, Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), widely regarded as a leader in the fusion field, is constructing Sparc, a tokamak just under five meters wide. CFS has raised nearly $3 billion so far, much of which is being used to build its demonstration facility, expected to go online next year.

Sparc is not intended to supply electricity to the grid; its main objective is to demonstrate that tokamaks can produce more energy than they consume. CFS’s commercial-scale reactor, Arc, is not expected to be ready until the early 2030s.

CFS enjoys a significant advantage over many other fusion startups, including Maritime. Nevertheless, Cohen remains optimistic that this won’t hold them back.

“We’re not going to pour billions into a break-even device that doesn’t deliver energy to the grid,” he said. “Our first tokamak will be built to generate power for a client.”

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Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.

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