Nuclear-powered commercial ships have moved a major step closer to deployment after governments, regulators and global industry gathered in Washington D.C. to accelerate the use of nuclear energy at sea.
The Nuclear Energy Maritime Organization (NEMO) has hailed the launch of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) ATLAS initiative as a potential turning point for commercial shipping.
The launch comes amid growing U.S. interest in maritime nuclear. The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) has recently consulted industry on advanced nuclear technologies for maritime applications, while U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright has put nuclear expansion at the heart of America’s energy agenda.
NEMO says the significance is clear: the debate is moving from whether nuclear-powered commercial shipping is possible to how it gets deployed.
NEMO CEO Virginia Crosbie said:
“The future of commercial shipping is nuclear.
For years, people have talked about whether nuclear could have a role in commercial shipping. That debate is changing very quickly. We are moving from ‘if’ to ‘when’.
The technology exists. Nuclear vessels have been operating safely for decades. What we now need is the international regulatory, legal, insurance and commercial framework that allows a new generation of nuclear-powered commercial ships to operate around the world.
What makes this moment different is who is now around the table. Shipowners, major cargo owners and retailers, shipbuilders, classification societies, insurers, ports, governments and regulators are engaging seriously with maritime nuclear.
The United States has recognized the opportunity. The leadership being shown by the U.S. Government, Secretary Chris Wright and the IAEA is helping move maritime nuclear from ambition towards deployment.”
More than nuclear-powered ships
NEMO says the potential market extends well beyond replacing conventional marine fuels.
Three major markets are emerging: nuclear-powered commercial shipping, floating nuclear power and nuclear power for offshore industry.
Floating nuclear plants could provide reliable power for ports, islands, coastal communities, industrial facilities and locations where grid infrastructure is limited or energy security is critical.
Offshore nuclear could meanwhile provide the large quantities of continuous power required by increasingly energy-intensive industrial operations.
Virginia Crosbie added:
“This is much bigger than putting a reactor on a ship.
Maritime nuclear has the potential to create entirely new markets for clean, secure and reliable energy.
Nuclear offers something extraordinarily valuable at sea: huge amounts of energy from very small quantities of fuel, combined with endurance and reliability.
Maritime nuclear therefore sits at the intersection of three of the defining challenges of our time: energy security, clean growth and the resilience of global trade.”
From pioneering technology to commercial deployment
Nuclear propulsion at sea is not new.
Nuclear-powered naval vessels and icebreakers have operated for decades, while the pioneering American NS Savannah demonstrated civilian nuclear propulsion more than 60 years ago.
What is changing is the technology, the commercial demand and the geopolitical environment.
A new generation of advanced nuclear reactors is being developed at the same time as governments and businesses seek greater energy security, resilient supply chains and alternatives to fossil fuels.
The challenge is now to establish an international system capable of regulating ships which may carry a nuclear reactor through multiple jurisdictions and ports.
That requires the nuclear and maritime worlds to work together.
Crosbie said:
“Ships move. Nuclear power stations traditionally don't. That simple difference creates one of the most fascinating regulatory challenges in the energy transition.
No single company, regulator or country can solve it alone.
ATLAS matters because it brings the people who can solve those problems into the same international program.
The prize is enormous. Get the framework right and we could be looking at the emergence of an entirely new global industry.”
NEMO participated in the Washington ATLAS launch and is working internationally with governments, regulators and industry to help develop the regulatory, safety, legal and commercial frameworks required for maritime nuclear deployment.
