US shipping and logistics group Crowley has teamed with a nuclear power specialist in a scheme for a vessel type to supply small-scale nuclear energy to shoreside locations.

The memorandum of understanding signed with a subsidiary of compatriot BWX Technologies (BWXT) provides for the development of a concept of ship incorporating a microreactor to generate zero-carbon emission power for defence establishment needs and disaster or emergency situations. The provisional agreement allows both companies to jointly undertake the requisite design and engineering work, with the naval architectural focus on a shallow-draught form.

The technical project would make recourse to the latest advances in factory-fabricated microreactors, readily applicable to shipyard configurations and processes for ease of installation in vessels.