With the continuous advancement of decarbonization in the maritime industry, especially after MEPC 80 setting the goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, the application of low-carbon/zero-carbon fuels has become a major focus. The large-scale adoption of energy sources such as liquid ammonia, liquid hydrogen, green methanol, and LNG is gradually accelerating. Nuclear energy, as a clean energy source, is also of increasing interest to the maritime industry. With the development of fourth-generation small modular reactor (SMR) technology, the inherent safety attributes of reactors have been enhanced while reducing the risk of radiation leakage, making nuclear energy a possible propulsion method for large commercial vessels. Starting from the decarbonization needs of the maritime industry, the current use of nuclear energy as a marine propulsion method has been introduced with a focus on the recent technological developments of fourth-generation SMRs. It particularly analyzes their development potential as marine small reactors and proposes key factors that should be considered for their application onboard ships. It focuses on the unique application advantages of molten salt reactors (MSRs), especially thorium-based solid-fueled MSRs, for civilian ships. It also analyzes and prospects the application of SMRs in Suezmax oil tankers, ultra-large container ships, and floating power generation platforms. It can provide theoretical support and references for subsequent engineering applications of nuclear power in ships.

In the tide of the digital transformation, the mode and process of modern ship design have undergone revolutionary transformation compared to the previous 2D design drawings due to the emergence of various digital design tools. With the continuous improvement of computer processing and the continuous deepening of the intelligent development of design software, 3D Digital Mock-Up（3D DMU）has gradually become the infrastructure of new industrial designs. Modern ship design is a customized and discrete large-scale engineering design. The introduction of 3D DMU and its extension to 3D digital ship mode will bring significant changes to the ship design process and its connotations, and the “Single Source of Truth（SSOT）” based on the 3D DMU will reshape the entire ship design process. This article focuses on the significant changes of 3D DMU and SSOT to the ship design through the analysis of the changing paradigm of modern ship design.

The aesthetic design is essential for the design of the luxury Ro-Ro passenger ship, and window design is one of the elements for the aesthetic design of luxury Ro-Ro passenger ships. However,large windows in public areas can meet the aesthetic design requirement, but impose challenges to the structural design. The fatigue strength of the opening corner of the large porthole has been studied for the 866 passenger/4 850 meter Ro-Ro passenger ship. The design method of the porthole in the specification is briefly introduced, and the basic method to reduce the fatigue stress of the porthole is presented in detail based on the finite element analysis of the whole ship. The alternative schemes are compared and analyzed. The optimal scheme is then selected to meet the fatigue stress requirement of the window frame, which theoretically prevent the fatigue crack of the window frame and the resulting glass breakage. It can provide reference for the design of the similar ships.