Micro modular reactors ‘could be powering superyachts by 2030’
One of the leading proponents of the nuclear option as a long-term, zero-emission shipping solution, Derek Munro will be setting out his case at December’s Propulsion & Future Fuels Conference.
A long-standing member of the professional superyacht industry, since 2021 Munro has been focused on development of nuclear energy for superyachts as the Project Lead for NOxFree.
A collaboration of three industry experts – with Munro working with David Lewis and his team at Laurent Giles Naval Architects, and former nuclear submarine engineer Steve Rasmussen – NOxFree are agents for Deployable Energy, the Houston-based company aiming to have their 1Mw Unity Module adopted as the world’s first mass-produced Micro Modular Reactor (MMR) for use on land and at sea.
The superyacht sector has been described as the ‘Formula 1 of the maritime world’ in respect of its technological innovation, and Munro contends that it is set to lead the way with the possibility of an MMR-powered yacht a reality by 2030.
It is noteworthy that the NOxFree project came about in 2021 when Munro, who is Director of Divergent Yachting Ltd, was commissioned by a superyacht client to produce a nuclear propulsion feasibility study – the start of what has been a rapid journey.
At the Propulsion & Future Fuels Conference in Hamburg, 8-10 December, Munro will be joined by Jez Simms from Lloyds Register, Thomas Beard, Clean Shipping Service Lead at BMT, and Geir Terje Nevoy, Senior Project Manager, Newbuilding and Technology, at Wallenius Wilhelmsen in the Session – Nuclear at Sea: Powering the Future of Commercial Shipping? – which will be moderated by Lars Robert Pedersen, BIMCO’s Deputy Secretary General.
See the full programme here
Conference programme | The Conference | Propulsion & Future Fuels Conference
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For more information or enquire about speaking contact Mia Lukeman-Knight mlukemanknight@mercatormedia.com or call 01329 825335.
