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<\/p>\nThe Trump administration\u2019s effort to turn US ports into incubators for nuclear-powered merchant ships is running into cautious companies that say they\u2019re holding out until regulators decide details on agency rules and the division of authority.<\/p>\n
Nuclear merchant ships are one of many initiatives the Trump administration has endorsed under its \u201cnuclear renaissance\u201d banner, as well as the president\u2019s push to revitalize the shipbuilding industry. The US is pitching nuclear-powered cargo fleets as a faster transportation option for the 80% of global goods moved by sea.<\/p>\n
The administration this year announced coordination plans to divide responsibilities among agencies, enlisted some of the largest cargo ship ports to allow reactor testing, and hosted delegations from dozens of countries to launch an atomic licensing initiative for nuclear use at sea. But that momentum has stopped short of licensed nuclear reactors hitting the water. <\/p>\n
Stakeholders say they\u2019re waiting for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to publish a regulatory framework this fall that answers unresolved questions, including how the government will analyze the effects of extreme waves or capsizing on nuclear reactors\u2019 safety systems, what safety classification looks like when environmental and population risks change, and how crews will be certified. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven\u2019t filed a specific license application yet because there is a determination that we have to make around how holistic the approach to licensing is here,\u201d said Mikal B\u00f8e, CEO of Core Power, the first company to sign an agreement with the US to help build a fleet of nuclear-powered merchant ships.<\/p>\n
The scale of licensing depends on collaboration among several federal agencies with differing authorities over sea ports, export controls, and marine environments.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an all out government approach,\u201d B\u00f8e said.<\/p>\n
Interagency feat<\/p>\n
A clear division of responsibilities between agencies remains a significant hurdle for the technological innovation to push off from port.<\/p>\n
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The US Maritime Administration has taken the role as the lead agency for overseeing nuclear cargo ship development. It has signed memorandums of cooperation with Core Power as well as with the Ports of Long Beach and Corpus Christi to explore how their infrastructures can accommodate testing small modular reactor-powered vessels. <\/p>\n
MARAD Administrator Stephen M. Carmel is bullish on nuclear power\u2019s capability to change the cargo shipping industry, but he isn\u2019t trained in nuclear technology and \u201cdoesn\u2019t have a huge staff of nuclear trained officers,\u201d said Budd Haemer, a nuclear law professor at the George Washington University Law School.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s where the NRC\u2019s agreement with the US Coast Guard, which often works in coordination with MARAD, comes in. Under a memorandum of understanding between the two agencies, the NRC is responsible for issuing design approvals and licenses for the nuclear reactors\u2019 construction, installation, and deployment, while the Coast Guard will inspect the vessels and enforce maritime safety laws. <\/p>\n
The agencies said in the agreement memo they will coordinate their compliance oversight \u201cthrough the appropriate offices, while each retains and exercises its independent authorities.\u201d But entities concerned about future enforcement say that statement is too vague.<\/p>\n