Nuclear Could Be a Decarbonisation Pathway in 10-15 Years: Maersk

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Thursday August 15, 2024

Container shipping and logistics firm AP Moller-Maersk is set to join a study looking into the use of nuclear power in shipping.

Lloyd's Register and nuclear firm Core Power have signed a joint development project deal to undertake the study, Core Power said in an emailed statement on Thursday.

Maersk will join the study, which will look into the regulatory feasibility and frameworks that would need to be established for a nuclear container ship using a fourth-generation reactor to undertake cargo operations at a European port.

"Since Maersk launched its energy transition strategy in 2018, we have continuously explored diverse low emission energy options for our assets," Ole Graa Jakobsen, head of fleet technology at Maersk, said in the statement.

"Nuclear power holds a number of challenges related to for example safety, waste management, and regulatory acceptance across regions, and so far, the downsides have clearly outweighed the benefits of the technology.

"If these challenges can be addressed by development of the new so-called fourth-generation reactor designs, nuclear power could potentially mature into another possible decarbonization pathway for the logistics industry 10 to 15 years in the future.

"Therefore, we continue to monitor and assess this technology, along with all other low emission solutions."

Ship & Bunker News Team
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