Blog by Paul Tallon (Innovation Manager – Mersey Maritime) and Simon Eardley (Head of Policy and Innovation – Mersey Maritime):
Mersey Maritime’s latest Technology & Innovation Forum, held on 15 May 2025, once again proved to be a powerful platform for insight, collaboration, and ambition – this time focused on one of the most transformative technologies shaping the future of our sector, nuclear innovation, and the wider net zero economy.
Held in partnership with the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), the event brought together a wide range of maritime leaders and innovators – including ARUP, AWP Marine, Casper Shipping, the National Oceanography Centre, the Royal Navy, advanced manufacturing innovators A|2|O and others, to explore how nuclear technologies, such as Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), could revolutionise clean energy at sea, and secondly, how innovation-led thinking in the net zero economy, combined with strategic business processes, can help to raise awareness of where companies are already adopting green practices – often in ways that go unrecognised or underreported. Presentations were received from the MTC’s Andrew Bowfield and Cy Keogh.
Nuclear Technology in Maritime: Theory and opportunity
At the centre of the forum’s discussion was the application of SMRs for propulsion and onboard power. As the maritime industry grapples with the scale and urgency of decarbonisation, SMRs were highlighted as a realistic pathway for zero-emission, long-distance shipping, offering long operational life, reduced refuelling, and exceptional reliability.
This wasn’t just a technical conversation. It addressed real-world implementation: from retrofitting existing ships with SMR systems, to validating safety and materials for seaborne nuclear applications, and exploring the role of regulatory bodies—including the prospect of a dedicated nuclear maritime authority. The scale of the opportunity for the UK was laid out with a commitment of £20 billion already made via ‘Great British Nuclear’ into SMR technology which could utilise the country as a global base for manufacturing and export.
Whilst the obvious ‘new technology manufacturing potential’ of advances in the nuclear field was emphasised, the need for concurrent decommissioning expertise was also detailed with at least an anticipated 100 year+ pipeline of work available, representing a £4bn per annum opportunity.
The wider use of nuclear power in a maritime setting
Discussions extended beyond propulsion into the use of radioisotope fuels such as americium for small-scale, long-life power systems. These could enable new forms of autonomous and deep-sea maritime infrastructure, and the need to open up a conversation around the potential impact on port infrastructure if an expansion into the overall nuclear industry becomes an economic and industry reality.
Such innovation opens new doors for the likes of subsea monitoring stations and long-duration autonomous vessels, further enhancing the sustainability and operational flexibility of the maritime economy.
Key questions posed included how lessons learnt from a defence perspective might be utilised in a civil setting, with attendees reminded that the UK has been running, successfully, its nuclear submarine operation for some 60 years. With countries such as the USA running their aircraft carrier fleet on nuclear technology, might the time come in the future when our own key strategic defence hardware follows suit?
Fusion in the future
The question of fusion energy was also explored. While the potential of fusion remains high, the consensus was that commercial applications in shipping are likely decades away. As such, SMRs offer a viable and necessary bridge—one that allows the sector to act now on climate commitments while preparing for future breakthroughs. Key topics for discussions and questions for further consideration include overcoming safety and security barriers and inter-port regulations. This will no doubt be a subject that Mersey Maritime members may wish to revisit as we grapple with the challenges presented, how maritime innovators can respond and how a viable, demand led opportunity within the industry can be realised to move this interesting area of maritime activity forward.
Wider net zero economy discussions
Final discussions centred on the broader theme of sustainability in the maritime sector, with a broad-ranging focus on offshore wind, grid capacity and what it means to embed sustainability fully into business operations. Thought-provoking questions were posed such as: How do we tackle a situation whereby we are turning wind turbines off because we don’t have grid capacity? How can we deliver net zero ambitions whilst being mindful of the financial performance of an organisation? How do we assess the sustainability impact on all aspects of the economy, society and the environment – turning words into discernible action? No hard and fast or rigid answers were arrived at but those present went away with a sense that there are strategies available to deliver the dual aim of no net increase in CO2 emissions and no net impact on the bottom line of the business each might be involved with.
Get involved in future events
This Technology & Innovation Forum was the second in the new series of events being co-ordinated by Mersey Maritime as part of its Navigating Maritime Innovation in the Liverpool City Region project. The next TiF will focus on the regionally and nationally significant HyNet project and will see a presentation from David Parkin, Chair of the HyNet Alliance & HyNet Project Director at Progressive Energy. This will take place on Thursday 8th July 2025. Those interested in attending, with priority given to Mersey Maritime members, can find out more HERE
