MARAD, CORE POWER Launch US Nuclear Merchant Fleet Push, Targeting First Builds in 2028
Updated
Updated · Splash 247 · Aug 25
MARAD, CORE POWER Launch US Nuclear Merchant Fleet Push, Targeting First Builds in 2028
3 articles · Updated · Splash 247 · Aug 25
Summary
A new MARAD-CORE POWER memorandum sets up a joint effort to speed a US-flagged nuclear merchant fleet, with CORE POWER aiming to start construction in 2028.
The partnership is meant to break barriers that have kept nuclear propulsion in naval use, creating a forum on port access, licensing, fuel, insurance, finance, workforce credentials and lifecycle support.
MARAD is not committing funding or vessel procurement, and CORE POWER envisions allied yards in Japan and South Korea building hulls while the US develops nuclear integration, fuelling, testing and support.
The push fits the Trump administration’s bid to rebuild US maritime capacity as Washington casts China’s shipbuilding dominance—and its move toward nuclear commercial shipping—as an economic and security threat.
Broader rules are still catching up: the IMO is revising its 1981 nuclear merchant ship safety code for 2030 adoption, while the IAEA is launching its ATLAS maritime-nuclear regulatory initiative this week.