Korea pushes SMR ship lead as outdated rules spur global standards race

AI Summary

South Korea’s shipbuilding industry is developing vessels powered by small modular reactors, but existing land-based nuclear rules and conventional maritime regulations do not adequately cover ships carrying reactors. The regulatory gap is driving calls for international standards governing nuclear-powered vessels.

As Korea’s shipbuilding industry accelerates development of vessels equipped with small modular reactors (SMRs), calls are growing for the creation of international rules. Existing nuclear safety regulations focus on land-based nuclear power plants, and maritime regulations focus on conventional ships, leaving a gap for “ships carrying reactors,” where standards to apply are not fully established. ...