South Korea is accelerating the development of ships equipped with small modular reactors (SMRs), and these developments strongly highlight the need for new international standards. Existing nuclear safety regulations primarily focus on land-based nuclear power plants, while maritime regulations related to conventional ships have created gaps for "ships carrying reactors," for which the necessary standards are not fully defined.
Industrial Advances and Legal Challenges
According to information presented at a seminar held on September 30 by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and the offices of Park Jung from the Democratic Party of Korea and Lee Heon-seong from the People Power Party, current international regulations for marine reactors are severely outdated. For next-generation SMR-carrying ships to be able to access ports around the world, standards are needed that not only cover reactor safety but also address maritime incidents such as collisions, grounding, port entry, and emergency response.
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In fact, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) code for commercial nuclear ships was adopted in 1981 and has been criticized for not reflecting modern nuclear safety concepts. Requirements related to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) have also been based on conventional pressurized water reactors (PWRs), limiting the application of next-generation reactor technologies such as molten salt reactors (MSRs).
Development of Marine Reactors and the Need for New Regulations
The shipbuilding industry is accelerating development, but international regulations are still in a state of "maintenance." The South Korean shipbuilding industry is currently developing ships that utilize next-generation reactor technologies. The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) and Samsung Heavy Industries are developing an LNG carrier with a capacity of 174,000 cubic meters based on a marine MSR, and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering has designed a nuclear container ship equipped with an SMR and received principle approval from DNV last October.
Marine MSRs are being developed with the goal of not requiring nuclear refueling for about 25 years. There are also plans to apply them to LNG ships, container ships, and icebreakers. The industry expects to achieve economic viability through sustainable fuel costs and reduced carbon expenses. However, compared to the pace of technology development, international regulations for the safety approval of new reactors are still under review.
The global community has also begun to revise related regulations. The IMO is amending the nuclear code to address its limitations so as not to restrict itself to specific reactor technologies. The goal is for the amended code to be adopted by 2030. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has also launched the ATLAS program in August to discuss international regulatory and safety frameworks for marine nuclear energy.
Industry and experts believe that the South Korean government and companies should actively participate in shaping international regulations. Lee Dong-hyuk, program director at the National Science and Technology Council (NST), suggested that "the formation of international regulations in organizations like the IMO and IAEA" should be part of the K-moonshot strategy for building a marine SMR industrial ecosystem. Active participation in shaping international regulations is one of the cornerstones of this strategy for building an industrial ecosystem.
Jang Min-young, a researcher at the Korea Legislative Research Institute (KLRI), stated, "Licensing criteria and safety regulations should not be the results of research and development but should be guidelines that direct research and development." He added, "Only if we proceed as legislators can we maintain technological superiority and create a suitable international regulatory environment for our industry."
Kim Jong-won, head of a group at Samsung Heavy Industries, introduced the foreign example of a "pink corridor" and pointed to the need to establish systems such as port licenses, regulatory procedures, and emergency response frameworks for the commercial operation of nuclear ships. Jun Hyo-bong, head of the Far East Marine Division at ABS, also stated, "Applying standards developed based on conventional pressurized reactors directly to fourth-generation reactors is difficult" and noted that extensive review is needed for marine applications.
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