Civil nuclear propulsion: ASNR attends an International Maritime Organization meeting

From January 19 to 23, 2026, in London (UK), ASNR participated in a meeting of the Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Construction (SDC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) which was to address, among other topics, the development of civil nuclear propulsion.

Keen to decarbonize civil maritime transport through the use of new propulsion methods that limit greenhouse gas emissions, the IMO wishes to revise the Code of Safety for Nuclear Merchant Ships which, since 1981, has been the regulatory framework allowing the use of pressurized water reactor technology alone for the propulsion of civil ships.

Noting that the current code has not been used since its creation, that it needs to be revised and that new reactor technologies, including small modular reactors, are under development, the IMO wishes to initiate its revision and allow its use for all reactor technologies.

ASNR shared its position, considering that only technologies that are sufficiently mature and proven on land could reasonably be considered for use on board ships. It also presented its proposal for revising the code, based on a technologically neutral first part specifying the safety objectives applicable to all technologies in order to meet the specific constraints of the maritime environment, supplemented, as in the existing code, by more prescriptive requirements, which would this time be tailored to each sufficiently mature technology. For the record, this regulatory structure currently facilitates mutual recognition between IMO member states and compliance with the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (more information).

The discussions, which confirmed the difficulty of the initiative and the divergence of certain points of view, will continue in the coming months through further meetings organized under the auspices of the IMO.

More than 40 IMO member countries, as well as several non-governmental organizations representing the interests of various industry players and representatives of the IAEA, participated in the discussions.

The French delegation, led by the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs, Fisheries and Aquaculture (DGAMPA) of the Ministry of the Sea and Fisheries, the competent national authority in this field, and the Permanent Representation of France to the IMO, included, in addition to ASNR represented by its International Advisor, a representative of the CEA and Bureau Veritas.