Liberty Global Logistics LLC (LGL) and Hyundai Glovis Co., Ltd. have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to jointly evaluate the commercial, technical and regulatory feasibility of developing and operating a small modular reactor (SMR)-powered Pure Car and Truck Carrier (PCTC), initially trading between the United States and South Korea.
The agreement brings together two leading transportation and logistics partners to examine what would be required to move an SMR-powered vessel from concept to commercial operation. Under the MOU, LGL will lead the evaluation of the U.S. regulatory and operating environment, with an initial focus on ports on the U.S. West Coast, including applicable federal and state approvals, port infrastructure requirements, and operational considerations. Hyundai Glovis will conduct a corresponding evaluation in South Korea.
SMR technology has emerged as a potential long-term alternative for maritime propulsion as the shipping industry evaluates pathways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining the range and cargo capacity required for global trade. An SMR-powered vessel could operate for extended periods without conventional marine fuel and without producing carbon emissions from fuel combustion during operation – a potentially transformative development for the maritime industry and a significant step towards cleaner global shipping.
“This partnership represents an exciting opportunity to combine Hyundai Glovis’s leadership in global automotive logistics and next-generation vessel development with LGL’s expertise operating vessels in the U.S. regulatory environment,” said David Minetti, President of LGL. “As a long-standing partner of Hyundai Glovis, we are pleased to work together to examine not simply whether an SMR-powered vessel can be built, but what it would take for that vessel to operate safely, efficiently, and commercially between the United States and South Korea.”
For LGL, the project draws on the company’s experience at the intersection of commercial shipping, U.S.-flag operations, and national-security transportation. LGL is a U.S.-based ocean carrier and international multimodal logistics company specializing in the transportation of automobiles, heavy equipment, breakbulk and project cargo, as well as U.S. government cargo. As a key transportation contractor to the U.S. Department of War supporting the U.S. Transportation Command and its component commands through major global ocean and multimodal transportation contracts, LGL brings extensive U.S.-flag shipping experience to the project. LGL also participates in the U.S. Maritime Administration’s Maritime Security Program (MSP) and Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement (VISA), which ensure the United States has access to commercially viable U.S.-flag vessels and intermodal transportation capacity to support national defense requirements.
Hyundai Glovis has already taken an important step toward development of the concept. In June 2026, Hyundai Glovis received Approval in Principle from Lloyd’s Register for the concept design of an SMR-powered PCTC. The MOU with LGL expands the focus from technical concept development to focus on practical regulatory, infrastructure, and operational requirements for potential commercial deployment.
LGL and Hyundai Glovis are excited to take this next step together and explore how their collective experience can advance the commercial deployment of SMR technology on vessels while creating new opportunities for further cooperation between the United States and South Korea.
