As Member States at the International Maritime Organization and the International Atomic Energy Agency advance work to modernise the regulatory framework for nuclear-powered shipping, the Nuclear Energy Maritime Organization (NEMO) has convened a landmark international workshop in London, bringing together leading experts from across the nuclear and maritime sectors.
The two-day ‘Nuclear Safety Applications at Sea’ workshop brought together senior representatives from regulators, classification societies, nuclear developers, shipowners, ports, insurers and technical experts to examine how existing frameworks can be aligned and where practical gaps must now be addressed.
“NEMO plays a unique convening role, bringing together regulators, industry and technical experts from across both the nuclear and maritime sectors,” Virginia Crosbie, Managing Director of NEMO, said. “This week’s workshop demonstrates how we can support the IMO and IAEA by providing a practical forum to inform the development of robust, internationally aligned standards for nuclear applications at sea.
“As momentum builds globally, it is clear that turning ambition into delivery will depend on serious cross-sector collaboration. That is exactly what this workshop has demonstrated.”
The workshop, hosted at Lloyd’s Register in London and supported by the American Bureau of Shipping, focused on practical safety considerations.
“There can be no net zero without nuclear,” Scott Edwards, Chair of NEMO Working Group 2, Nuclear Safety, Security and Safeguards, said. “The focus now is on ensuring the frameworks are in place to enable safe and secure deployment. With the IMO and IAEA both progressing this work, there is real momentum behind developing an internationally accepted approach.”
“This level of cross-sector collaboration shows the pace at which this topic is developing,” Mark Tipping, Global Director of Power-X at Lloyd’s Register, added. “Bringing together expertise from across nuclear and maritime is essential to addressing both safety and the wider decarbonisation challenge facing shipping.”
Outputs from the workshop will support ongoing international discussions, including upcoming deliberations at IMO’s MSC 111, and wider engagement with the IAEA, helping to ensure that the future regulatory framework is practical, credible and internationally workable.
As global interest in nuclear applications at sea accelerates, NEMO membership is growing rapidly, reflecting the increasing recognition that those who engage early will help shape the standards, frameworks and commercial models that define the sector.
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