Innovations in the maritime industry to increase ship productivity, along with the sharp rise anticipated for the cost of fossil fuel, call for a reappraisal of marine nuclear propulsion to meet the high power requirements of modern container ships. A recently designed oil-fueled, high-speed, quick-turnaround container ship was used as the base for a comparison to assess the economic feasibility of nuclear propulsion for ships of this type. To avoid inadvertent advantage to one or the other alternative, both were analyzed according to two independent economic criteria: (a) average annual operating costs, and (b) average annual net profit. Each of these criteria accounts for the significant costs incurred by the ship over its life, including the effects of taxes and the time value of money. The results of sensitivity computations indicate that the nuclear-powered container ship, as modified for this comparison, would now be competitive with the oil-fueled ship on transatlantic routes. A similar ship specifically designed for nuclear propulsion should have an economic advantage.