European maritime and nuclear players ink strategic cooperation agreement

France-based classification society Bureau Veritas (BV), together with thirty European companies from the French and wider nuclear and maritime sectors, has formally signed a cooperation declaration aimed at speeding up nuclear applications in the maritime industry.

Formally named the “Declaration of Cooperation for Accelerating Nuclear for Maritime Applications to meet Climate Ambitions”, the agreement was reportedly signed at an exhibition in Paris on November 5.

Officials from BV have highlighted that the signing represents “a landmark initiative” that strives to combine efforts of international stakeholders across the nuclear, maritime, research, financial and regulatory communities and promote an all-embracing European effort to push forward the “safe and sustainable” use of nuclear technologies that could aid in the energy transition, i.e., decarbonization.

The signatories of the document said that they would commit to an ongoing cross-industry collaboration to address technological, regulatory and societal challenges within this landscape, and identify pilot projects to test and validate nuclear-powered solutions.

Specifically, as disclosed, the declaration is envisioned to recognize the ‘essential’ role of the maritime sector in achieving global climate goals and the need to transition to low-carbon