In recent years, work dealing with the application of atomic energy for ship propulsion has been conducted in a number of countries (USSR, USA, Norway, Japan, and others), and the conditions required for realizing it have been analyzed. It has been established that the power of atomic-powered vessels should be sufficiently large — not less than 10,000 HP — and the speed of atomic-powered freighters (18–21 knots) should be considerably greater than that of similar conventional vessels (12–15 knots). Steam or gas turbines will be employed in atomic-powered vessels. At the present time, it is more advantageous to utilize the dual loop cooling system with a steam turbine installation and a thermal reactor, water moderated and cooled. Projects dealing with the creation of a high-temperature reactor with gaseous coolant are under way for future realization of the advantages of the gas turbine installation. The weight of the atomic vessel installation should be less than the total weight of a conventional vessel installation and fuel supply. Calculations indicate that the atomic vessel can be as economical as the conventional vessel.