POLICY & REGULATION | MARITIME NUCLEAR
Nuclear for shipping and offshore: What… why?
A sudden increase in interest for nuclear solutions in maritime applications raises the prospect for new transport challenges for nuclear materials. Industry, regulators and NGOs are working hard to put appropriate regulatory frameworks in place.
By Meg Dowling, Senior Engineer, Advisory Services for Nuclear and Alternative Fuels at Lloyd’s Register
THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY Association (IAEA) hosting an International Symposium on the Deployment of Floating Nuclear Power plants; shipyards receiving preliminary approvals for nuclear vessels and floating power plants; major shipowners partnering with industry to investigate nuclear… why is there a sudden increase in interest for nuclear solutions in maritime, what is going on in this space, and what should the nuclear industry be paying attention to?
Below: Many maritime stakeholders are now looking at advanced nuclear technologies, with shipowners noting that some SMR concepts could be comparable in size to conventional onboard power systems
Maritime nuclear use cases In line with national decarbonisation and energy security initiatives, the international shipping and offshore industries (here collectively referred to as maritime industries) have also established targets for sustainable energy solutions. International shipping transports up to 90% of global trade, using only approximately 1.3% of global energy per year, and serves as the most efficient form of material transport. However, many maritime stakeholders are now looking at advanced nuclear technologies in a bid to address operational challenges related to clean energy security. Sustainable energy solutions under consideration include small modular reactors (SMRs) and micro reactors, with shipowners
noting that some SMR concepts under development could be comparable in size to conventional onboard power systems. The potential benefits of nuclear ships – including reducing emissions, increasing speed and eliminating fuel bunkering – have encouraged shipowners to investigate the opportunities of nuclear power. Most sectors of shipping, including large containerships, very large crude carriers (tankers), LNG carriers, and large bulk carriers, are often considered the most feasible ships to be fitted with nuclear power systems. Offshore industries plan to continue hydrocarbon
exploration and exploitation activities, as well as develop other industries, such as deep-sea mining, far into the future. They are similarly interested in energy security with the added benefits of a long-term supply of reliable, high- power systems to support everyday high-value operations. Many of these applications require significant thermal energy for industrial processes and electricity. Nuclear power for offshore could serve as standalone power plants or be integrated with offshore units or industrial platforms. Other potential use cases include locating power plants in coastal waters (either floating or fixed to the seabed) to provide power to shore. This may be especially interesting in remote or environmentally challenging regions, or in
32 | July 2025 |
www.neimagazine.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36
