NEMO says nuclear shipping is moving from if to when
In the UK, the Nuclear Energy Maritime Organization said Wednesday the commercial shipping debate over nuclear propulsion is shifting from whether it can work to how reactors can be regulated, insured and accepted across international jurisdictions. “We are moving from ‘if’ to ‘when’,” NEMO CEO Virginia Crosbie said.
Civilian nuclear propulsion is not new. The NS Savannah demonstrated it more than 60 years ago, and nuclear powered naval vessels and icebreakers have operated for decades.
The challenge now is building an international framework for commercial ships carrying operating reactors through multiple countries and ports. “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,” Crosbie said.
The International Atomic Energy Agency’s ATLAS initiative, recently launched in Washington D.C., is bringing governments, regulators and industry together to work on those barriers.
Category: Sustainable Marine Fuels
