- CORE POWER hosts the largest-ever summit on nuclear energy for maritime at IET London.
- Global leaders stress nuclear’s geopolitical and climate urgency for shipping.
- 2025 marked as the turning point for maritime nuclear to enter mainstream deployment.
On July 10, CORE POWER convened over 300 global decision-makers at the prestigious Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) in London for the New Nuclear for Maritime European Summit. This record-setting event brought together leaders from government, shipping, energy, finance, and insurance to chart a course for the future of nuclear power at sea.
Nuclear: From Technological Ambition to Geopolitical Imperative
Framing the summit’s central theme, Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan, former UK Trade Secretary and Foreign Office Minister, emphasized that advancing nuclear energy for maritime use is no longer just about innovation—it is a “geopolitical imperative” for OECD countries. She underlined that progress lies in pairing marine-ready nuclear technologies with the mass assembly capabilities of shipyards to build modular nuclear energy units at scale.
A Vision of Floating Clean Energy
Dr. Tim Stone of Great British Nuclear described the emerging generation of reactor solutions as “floating clean energy centers,” underscoring their potential to supply clean, continuous power for both ships and coastal infrastructure. This aligns closely with global net-zero ambitions set under the COP28 pledge to triple nuclear capacity.
Echoing this urgency, Sama Bilbao y León, Director General of the World Nuclear Association (WNA), called floating nuclear power plants a powerful enabler in achieving global decarbonization goals.
NEMO’s Role in Scaling Maritime Nuclear
Supporting the fast pace of development is the Nuclear Energy Maritime Organization (NEMO), which plays a vital coordination and regulatory support role for international stakeholders. Chairman Dr. Mamdouh el-Shanawany announced that NEMO now has 50 member organizations and has achieved official NGO recognition at both the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO)—the two key UN agencies responsible for setting nuclear and maritime regulations.
Momentum Building Toward 2025 Deployment
The summit highlighted significant progress in areas such as:
- Advanced reactor technologies ready for marine environments
- Clear regulatory frameworks for deployment
- Civil liability and insurance regimes
- Active workforce development for nuclear maritime sectors
These developments reflect more than seven years of accelerating momentum, setting the stage for 2025 to be the year maritime nuclear enters mainstream application.
The summit concluded with a shared vision: maritime nuclear is no longer a future concept—it is an imminent reality with the potential to transform global shipping and energy landscapes in the coming decade.
Did you subscribe to our daily Newsletter?
It’s Free Click here to Subscribe!
Source: American Journal of Transportation
