Momentum is building at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to update the decades-old safety framework for nuclear-powered vessels, a crucial step toward enabling modern maritime nuclear technologies.
At recent IMO meetings, member states agreed to begin revising the Code of Safety for Nuclear Merchant Ships, recognizing that existing rules no longer reflect advances in reactor design, safety approaches or ship systems. The work now moves into detailed technical review, opening the door for regulations that can accommodate next-generation nuclear technologies at sea.
CORE POWER’s Unni Einemo, Rosa Vilarino, Ioannis Kourasis and Scott Edwards contributed to these discussions as part of industry delegations from the Nuclear Energy Maritime Organization (NEMO) and the World Nuclear Transport Institute (WNTI). Through technical input delivered on behalf of these international bodies, they helped outline how modern reactor designs, updated safety methodologies and clearer alignment between nuclear and maritime regulators can support safe and practical deployment.
This progress at the IMO marks an important shift from high-level interest toward structured regulatory development, a necessary foundation for floating nuclear power plants and nuclear-powered vessels to move from concept into real-world operation.
