According to a new paper by DNV, shifting environmental requirements are reigniting interest in nuclear propulsion as a long-term solution for maritime decarbonization. This renewed attention comes despite the absence of any civilian commercial nuclear-powered vessel commissions in more than four decades.
DNV’s latest report, “Maritime nuclear propulsion: Technologies, commercial viability, and regulatory challenges for nuclear-powered vessels,” highlights how maritime nuclear technologies differ from land-based reactors, and emphasizes the need to address technological, regulatory, and commercial factors in the effort to understand the potential role of nuclear propulsion.
The paper addresses the main elements of the future maritime fuel cycle – including fuel management, waste handling, vessel construction and operation, and oversight of nuclear supply chains – and presents the reactor technologies most likely to be adopted by shipowners. Advances in automation, digitalization, and modular design are identified as critical enablers of safety, security, and non-proliferation of future nuclear fuels and reactors, thereby paving the way for public acceptance.
The white paper stresses the need for a predictable and harmonized regulatory framework at both national and international levels to enable safe nuclear propulsion at sea. Regulators such as the IMO and IAEA, along with flag states, national authorities, and classification societies, must play a coordinated role and the report outlines likely regulatory roadmaps for all relevant actors, as the industry develops.
The success of any future industry will also hinge on robust, cost-effective business models. DNVs report outlines how mass production, standardization, and modularization can strengthen the business case for nuclear-powered ships. This is further underscored by a case study that shows what cost levels marine nuclear reactors will need to reach for nuclear propulsion to become viable for the merchant fleet.
