Nuclear propulsion for commercial vessels is back in serious conversation. This session takes a close look at one ongoing effort in the space, the Netherlands’ Nuclear Drive program.
The public-private initiative explores the feasibility of nuclear propulsion and onboard power generation for large offshore vessels, with a specific focus on practical engineering boundaries, safety-by-design principles, and realistic use cases. Rather than looking at speculative concepts, this talk addresses where nuclear propulsion could make sense, how small modular reactor (SMR) concepts differ from historic nuclear systems, and offers next steps to deployment.
Attendees will:
- Learn which vessel profiles could realistically benefit from nuclear propulsion
- Discover how modern SMR concepts differ from legacy nuclear systems
- Understand the regulatory, operational, and societal hurdles to deployment
