Maritime nuclear specialist CORE POWER has joined forces with US nuclear technology company BWX Technologies (BWXT) to launch a formal feasibility study examining whether commercial shipyards can mass-produce floating nuclear power plants for deployment at coastal locations. The initiative marks a significant step in the convergence of shipbuilding expertise and advanced nuclear technology, with potential long-term implications for how the maritime sector approaches decarbonisation and energy infrastructure.
What the Feasibility Study Will Examine
The study will assess the technical, regulatory, and commercial pathways required to integrate BWXT’s mPower small modular reactor (SMR) technology into floating power plant structures constructed within shipyard environments. This approach draws directly on the maritime industry’s established capacity for modular, serial construction — a methodology that has long been central to bulk carrier and vessel production at scale.
At its core, the collaboration is asking a question that the environment and emissions debate has increasingly brought to the surface: can nuclear power be standardised and serialised in the same way that commercial vessels are built, driving down unit costs and accelerating deployment timelines? Shipyards, by their nature, are optimised for large-scale fabrication, module integration, and quality-controlled assembly — capabilities that SMR proponents argue translate directly to nuclear plant construction.
The mPower SMR technology from BWXT is a small modular reactor design intended to produce reliable, low-carbon baseload power. Floating nuclear power plants would be moored at coastal sites, providing electricity to shore-based grids or industrial facilities, with the shipyard-build model potentially enabling multiple units to be constructed simultaneously and deployed to different locations as demand requires.
Regulatory and Commercial Pathways Under Review
Beyond the technical dimension, the feasibility study will probe the regulatory frameworks that would govern the construction, certification, operation, and eventual decommissioning of such floating nuclear assets. This is a critical element, as floating nuclear installations occupy a complex intersection between maritime regulation, national nuclear licensing regimes, and international conventions governing vessel safety and environmental protection.
For bulk carrier operators and shipowners already navigating the expanding requirements of IMO regulations on emissions and energy efficiency, the regulatory complexity of nuclear-powered or nuclear-generating marine assets is considerable. Classification society involvement, flag state oversight, and port state acceptance policies would all need to be addressed before any commercial deployment could proceed. The feasibility study between CORE POWER and BWXT appears designed to map these pathways systematically rather than treat them as secondary concerns.
The commercial model is equally important. Unlike conventional land-based nuclear plants, floating units built in shipyards could theoretically be relocated, leased, or redeployed — introducing a level of commercial flexibility not previously associated with nuclear energy infrastructure. Whether financing institutions, insurers, and energy offtakers are prepared to engage with such a model remains one of the central questions the study will need to address.
Implications for Maritime Decarbonisation
The broader context for this initiative is the maritime industry’s intensifying search for zero-carbon or near-zero-carbon energy solutions capable of operating at scale. While battery technology, green ammonia, methanol, and hydrogen have dominated much of the recent discussion around ship propulsion and port energy, nuclear power has maintained a parallel track of serious professional and academic interest.
For the bulk carrier segment specifically, which operates on long ocean voyages with high energy demands, nuclear propulsion has long been examined as a theoretical option. The CORE POWER and BWXT feasibility study is focused on stationary floating power generation rather than vessel propulsion directly, but the supply chain, regulatory learning, and industrial capacity that would be developed through floating nuclear plant production could have downstream relevance to nuclear-powered commercial shipping more broadly.
The use of shipyard infrastructure to build nuclear assets also raises important questions about workforce skills, quality assurance standards, and the role of existing maritime construction facilities in the emerging low-carbon energy economy. Shipyards that successfully pivot toward SMR fabrication would be taking on a qualitatively different level of regulatory scrutiny compared to conventional newbuilding projects.
Practical Considerations for Bulk Carrier Operators
At this stage, the CORE POWER and BWXT initiative remains a feasibility study, and no commercial deployment timelines have been announced. For bulk carrier operators, the immediate operational relevance is limited, but the strategic trajectory is worth monitoring closely. If shipyard-built floating nuclear plants become commercially viable, they could reshape coastal energy infrastructure in key trading regions, influence bunker fuel availability and pricing dynamics, and accelerate regulatory pressure on high-emission vessel operations.
Operators with newbuilding programmes or long-term fleet strategy reviews underway should track how the technical and regulatory findings from this study develop. The intersection of nuclear technology, shipbuilding capacity, and maritime energy transition is moving from theoretical discussion toward structured assessment — and the outcomes of studies like this one will help define what the next generation of maritime energy infrastructure looks like.