Nuclear Propulsion for the Merchant Marine with MIT Professor

The global shipping industry faces a major challenge: how to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions while continuing to support global trade. As the International Maritime Organization targets net-zero emissions by 2050, this presentation explores whether nuclear propulsion could become a viable option for future commercial shipping.

The talk will examine the opportunities and challenges of nuclear-powered vessels, including the advantages of nuclear energy, the technical hurdles involved, and lessons that can be adapted from decades of naval nuclear experience.

Drawing on the MIT Maritime Consortium’s research, the presentation will explore a proposed next-generation 16,000-TEU container ship powered by advanced nuclear reactors, electric propulsion, and passive safety systems. The analysis suggests that nuclear propulsion could be economically competitive with conventional diesel-powered vessels under realistic operating conditions, even without carbon pricing.

However, technology alone will not determine the future of nuclear shipping. Regulatory approval, insurance, security requirements, and public acceptance remain critical challenges that must be addressed before nuclear-powered commercial vessels can become a reality.

Speaker Bio

Professor Jacopo Buongiorno is the Battelle Energy Alliance Professor in Nuclear Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Director of Science and Technology at the MIT Nuclear Reactor Laboratory, and a member of the US National Academy of Engineering. He is currently on sabbatical at UNSW Sydney, working with the UNSW Nuclear Innovation Centre team.

He has published more than 110 journal articles on reactor safety and design, thermal-hydraulics, and nuclear energy systems, and has received numerous awards for his research and teaching, including the ANS Nuclear Statesman Award (2026) and MIT’s MacVicar Faculty Fellowship.

Jacopo led the MIT study The Future of Nuclear Energy in a Carbon-Constrained World (2016–2018) and is a recognised expert in advanced nuclear energy systems, reactor safety, and the future of nuclear power.

Program

5:00- 5:30 pm - Arrival & welcome drinks

5:30–6:30 pm - Talk & Q&A

6:30 -7:30 pm — Drinks & canapés