Classification societies DNV and Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) have become members of the Nuclear Energy Maritime Organization (NEMO), an association focused on advancing the integration of nuclear technology in maritime.
NEMO was created earlier this year by a group of companies interested in developing nuclear energy solutions for the maritime sector.
London-based organization aims to assist nuclear and maritime regulators in the development of appropriate standards and rules for the deployment, operation, and decommissioning of floating nuclear power.
NEMO’s inaugural annual member meeting took place in September and it included the first meetings of working groups focused on maritime regulations and nuclear safety standards. The association also announced the formation of a third working group that will concentrate on the topic of maritime nuclear liability and insurance.
In addition to gathering classification societies such as Lloyd’s Register (LR), Bureau Veritas (BV), RINA, and Korean Register, NEMO was also recently joined by DNV and IRS.
DNV has been studying the potential of nuclear power in the decarbonization of maritime sector and found that it might offer an additional pathway for reaching the International Maritime Organization’s greenhouse gas (GHG) targets for shipping while removing business uncertainty due to fuel cost volatility.
Nuclear power could be an effective decarbonization choice for larger ships in the world fleet such as container ships, bulk carriers, and possibly tankers and cruise ships, DNV’s 2021 Technology Progress Report showed.
In 2023, DNV presented the results of a comprehensive case study, spotlighting the potential of nuclear propulsion, in its Maritime Forecast 2050 report. The study showed that putting a smaller nuclear reactor on board a merchant vessel is technically feasible.
Through its membership in NEMO, IRS also vowed to focus on addressing critical global challenges in the use of nuclear energy as an alternative fuel for the decarbonization of shipping.