DNV Says Nuclear Propulsion is a Viable Option for Shipping’s Decarbonisation

DNV has set out a case for renewed interest in nuclear propulsion as a potential long-term route to decarbonise shipping. 

The classification society’s white paper, ‘Maritime nuclear propulsion: Technologies, commercial viability, and regulatory challenges for nuclear-powered vessels,’ examined how marine reactor technologies differ from land-based designs. 

The paper argued that recent advances in reactor design, automation, and modular construction could make nuclear-powered merchant vessels technically and commercially plausible.

It illustrated the fuel cycle elements that would be needed for a maritime nuclear sector, including fuel management, waste handling, vessel construction and operation, and supervision of nuclear supply chains.

DNV highlighted modularisation, standardisation, and digital control systems as critical enablers that could reduce costs, improve safety and support non‑proliferation safeguards. 

The paper presented a set of reactor technologies considered most likely to be taken up by shipowners and included a case study showing the cost thresholds marine reactors must reach for nuclear propulsion to be commercially competitive with alternative fuels.

“For nuclear propulsion to become commercially viable in shipping, the business case must account for the full lifecycle costs, including fuel supply, reactor maintenance, and waste management,” said senior principal researcher at DNV and lead author of the paper, Ole Christen Reistad. 

“Modular and standardized reactor designs can significantly reduce capital and operational expenditures, while robust regulatory frameworks and predictable supply chains are essential for investor confidence and long‑term competitiveness”.

The report stressed that technical progress alone will not be sufficient, calling for predictable, harmonised regulation at national and international levels. The paper noted that coordinated roles for the IMO, the IAEA, flag states, national authorities, and classification societies will be essential if nuclear propulsion is to be introduced safely and acceptably.

“Nuclear energy has the potential to play a role in the maritime energy transition,” said maritime CEO at DNV, Knut Ørbeck‑Nilssen. “However, much work still needs to be done to overcome technical, regulatory, and societal challenges, including public perception. This will require coordinated global action, technological innovation, and closely aligned regulatory frameworks”.

The paper also flagged issues that would need to be resolved, such as port and coastal state acceptance, insurance and liability arrangements, nonproliferation safeguards, waste logistics. It also discussed the development of a secure nuclear fuel supply chain tailored to a maritime context.

DNV argued that mass production and standard designs would be necessary to bring down unit costs and make the business case for shipping owners and charterers. The society’s analysis set out likely regulatory roadmaps and recommended pilot projects, standard‑setting and international dialogue to build the institutional structures required for a maritime nuclear fuel cycle.

Although no commercial civilian nuclear merchant ships have been ordered for more than four decades, DNV’s paper arrived as the shipping industry searches for viable options to meet tightening greenhouse‑gas standards and charterers’ demands for lower lifecycle emissions. 

The classification society does not present nuclear as an immediate or sole solution but as one option among many for hard‑to‑abate segments, subject to substantial non‑technical preconditions.

“For nuclear propulsion to become commercially viable in shipping, the business case must account for the full lifecycle costs, including fuel supply, reactor maintenance, and waste management,” Reistad added.

DNV recommended a coordinated effort to develop technical standards, regulatory frameworks and commercial models, and to pursue demonstration projects that can inform policymakers and investors. 

If regulators, industry, and publics can resolve the complex technical, political and societal questions DNV identified, nuclear propulsion could re‑enter the conversation as a credible decarbonisation pathway for certain shipping segments.

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