A white paper titled Enabling Nuclear-Powered Feeder Ships: A Joint Development Project on Port Call Feasibility and Regulatory Pathways confirms that existing port safety frameworks can serve as a viable foundation for accepting nuclear-powered commercial vessels. The 24-page collaborative desktop study was conducted by: Lloyd’s Register (LR), provider of classification and compliance services; the Port of Rotterdam Authority; UK-based start-up Core Power; and AP Moller – Maersk (Maersk), an integrated logistics company that operates advanced container terminals in more than 60 locations globally.
The study sets out the questions that ports, regulators and industry would need to answer in order to assess nuclear-powered vessels in a structured and responsible way. It identifies further work that would be required before routine operation could be contemplated, including regulatory alignment, emergency preparedness, security, liability and public engagement.
Although the study uses a defined port scenario to structure the assessment, the findings, conclusions and recommendations are framed to apply to any EU port that may expect to admit a civil nuclear ship. It demonstrates that the principal barriers to nuclear ship port calls are not technical, but relate to regulatory alignment, governance, risk management integration and public acceptance.
These barriers can be addressed using risk-based port safety frameworks already familiar to EU ports, provided that nuclear-specific considerations are systematically incorporated and supported by appropriate national and international guidance.
The objectives were to:
- Identify the safety and regulatory regimes that a nuclear ship would encounter during arrival, berthing, cargo operations and departure;
- Assess whether existing port safety frameworks, regulations and operational practices are sufficient to manage the presence of a nuclear ship;
- Identify gaps and barriers that may prevent entry by nuclear ships;
- Develop a Roadmap of Activities setting out recommended actions to address those barriers, including an indication of roles and responsibilities for the parties to whom this publication is directed; and
- Highlight areas requiring further study to support future regulatory development and port preparedness.
A central conclusion of the study is that the challenges identified are not port-specific. While individual ports differ in size, governance and operating environment, the same categories of barriers apply across the EU. Existing regulations rarely make explicit provision for nuclear ships other than military nuclear ships; nuclear safety and maritime safety regimes exist in parallel, with limited integration; and ports lack clear guidance on how to interpret nuclear licensing, insurance and liability for visiting ships.
The Roadmap and recommendations are framed as generic actions for EU ports and authorities, scalable to local circumstances. The assessment demonstrates that nuclear ships can be evaluated using the same safety themes and processes already applied to other high-risk maritime activities. “Where gaps exist, they are typically due to a lack of guidance rather than technical incompatibilities.”
The Roadmap describes actions in the near, medium, and long term, recognising that regulatory development, public acceptance, and technology maturation proceed on different timescales. Near-term actions should begin immediately or within the next five years, focusing on building foundational resources.
Ports, supported by national authorities and industry, should initiate transparent communication on nuclear maritime technologies, risks and governance. Early engagement reduces uncertainty and enables informed discussion before commercial pressure arises. Shipowners and technology developers should advance ship designs and operational concepts to support port-level assessments. Ports cannot prepare without credible technical information.
National authorities should begin developing regulatory approaches for nuclear ships in parallel with international efforts. EU ports cannot wait for future international instruments before preparing locally. Ports should explicitly apply their established safety frameworks to nuclear ship scenarios, identify any gaps in nuclear-specific guidance, and document them for regulatory follow-up.
Medium-term actions are required to enable first-of-a-kind nuclear ships to operate commercially. These activities depend on progress in technology definition and early regulatory alignment. They include:
- Developing national and regional guidance for emergency response, berthing, terminal readiness and personnel training specific to nuclear ships;
- Establishing insurance and liability frameworks acceptable to Port States, shipowners and insurers, avoiding unlimited liability regimes incompatible with commercial shipping;
- Updating maritime training and certification regimes to include nuclear ship operations; and
- Formalising port governance arrangements to address nuclear ship admission, oversight and enforcement.
Long-term activities support standardisation and scale up, including harmonisation or mutual recognition of nuclear ship licences between states; integration of nuclear provisions into international maritime design codes and classification rules; and refinement of port safety practices based on operational experience.
The Roadmap makes clear that no single party can address the identified barriers alone. Ports and port authorities should apply existing safety frameworks to nuclear ships, define local admission criteria, coordinate emergency preparedness, and lead public engagement at the local level. National nuclear and maritime regulators should develop coherent licensing, safety and liability frameworks for nuclear ships, aligned with port operations and Classification Rules and implemented through national legislation.
International organisations should update international codes, standards and guidance to reflect modern reactor technologies and commercial shipping realities, supporting consistent national implementation. Shipowners and technology developers should provide transparent design, safety and operational information; support risk assessments; and engage constructively with ports, insurers and regulators. Insurers should develop insurable risk models and liability structures suitable for nuclear ships and ports.
Core Power CEO Mikal Bøe, CEO of CORE POWER, said: “Together with Rotterdam, LR and Maersk we’ve identified a port safety framework and created a credible starting point for assessments by the IMO [International Maritime Organisation] as it revises the Safety Code for Nuclear Ships and for the IAEA as it launches its flagship ATLAS programme this summer. We’ve highlighted where further work is needed, including modernised port guidance, inter agency regulatory alignment, nuclear-specific safety, and security requirements and best in class emergency preparedness to build public trust.”
René de Vries Harbour Master of the Port of Rotterdam said: “Ports need to understand how emerging energy and shipping technologies may interact with future port operations and industrial systems. This study represents an initial case-study assessment intended to better understand the regulatory, operational and safety considerations associated with nuclear-powered commercial shipping within a European port context.”
Meg Albrecht, Senior Engineer – Nuclear Technology and Alternative Fuels at LR said the maritime energy transition will require the industry to examine a range of future fuel and propulsion pathways. “This work contributes to a broader understanding of the regulatory and operational considerations associated with nuclear-powered vessels and helps establish a structured basis for further discussion and analysis.”
According to Ole Graa Jakobsen, Head of Fleet Technology at Maersk, shipping’s long-term energy transition will require the consideration of multiple fuel and technology pathways. “Civil commercial nuclear propulsion presents a number of significant challenges, including safety, waste management, regulatory alignment and public acceptance across regions. This study does not represent a decision to pursue nuclear propulsion but contributes to further understanding of what would be required for ports and authorities to assess such vessels in a structured and responsible way. We continue to monitor and assess this technology alongside other low-emission solutions.”
