Maersk joins US-UK partnership to study transatlantic nuclear shipping corridor
Danish shipping firm A.P. Moller - Maersk has joined Lloyd’s Register (LR) and the ports of Charleston and Felixstowe to model a nuclear-powered shipping corridor between the US and UK.
IMAGE: Shipping route between the ports of Felixstowe in the UK and Charleston in the US. ENGINE
The project will study the operational, regulatory and security requirements for a nuclear-powered commercial vessel to operate between the Port of Charleston on the US east coast and the Port of Felixstowe in the UK.
Rather than deploying a vessel, the first phase will examine what would theoretically be needed for one to safely operate between the two ports, including port handling, nuclear safeguards, emergency response and cybersecurity requirements.
The partners will also consider how such vessels could be insured and how existing maritime and nuclear regulations would need to work together.
The study will identify regulatory and operational gaps that could require further work, with the findings potentially leading to a second phase covering technical, legal, security and safeguards requirements in greater detail.
“By taking a practical, collaborative approach, the project will examine the security and safeguards that would need to be addressed for safe operations,” LR global containerships segment director Nick Gross said.
“The partnership brings together industry-leading players across shipping, ports and classification, reflecting the growing interest in nuclear technology as a route to more sustainable maritime operations.”
The project forms part of wider US-UK cooperation under the Technology Prosperity Deal, which includes exploring nuclear applications in commercial shipping and the potential for establishing a nuclear-powered corridor between the two countries.
The partnership also builds on earlier work by LR, nuclear technology developer CORE POWER and Maersk.
LR and CORE POWER launched a regulatory assessment in 2024, before Maersk joined a separate joint development project examining the safety, operational and regulatory requirements for applying advanced nuclear technology to container ships.
CORE POWER has also signed an agreement with the US Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) to study the feasibility of constructing commercial nuclear-powered vessels by 2028.
By Konica Bhatt
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