BWXT, Crowley to work together on power plant vessel concept

22 September 2023

BWX Technologies, Inc has teamed up with global shipping and maritime, energy and logistics solutions company Crowley to develop new shallow-draft hull ships to supply energy from onboard microreactors to shoreside locations.

The companies' vision for their concept (Image: Crowley)

A memorandum of understanding between BWXT's Advanced Technologies subsidiary and Crowley will allow both companies to jointly pursue and develop opportunities relative to the design, engineering and development of the ships, which would feature factory fabricated microreactors, readily deployed into a shipyard configuration for ease of installation on the vessel. The onboard power plant could supply electricity to facilities such as military bases in remote island locations, backup utility grids after disasters, and provide power in other scenarios "where traditional electricity sources are damaged or not possible", the companies said.

The concept envisions a 378-foot (115 metre) ship drawing on the logistics and marine capabilities of Crowley, with in-house vessel design Crowley Engineering Services, and the nuclear capabilities of BWXT, which has supplied nuclear components, fuel and services to the US government for more than 60 years. The vessel would use traditional propulsion. Its modular reactor - of between 5 and 50 MW - would be activated upon arrival at the destination and be deactivated and transported after the power supply is discontinued. Buoyed power delivery cables would enable the ships to deploy energy connections to shore. Shallow draft hulls allow vessels to manoeuvre to deliver power strategically if harbour access is limited, for example by military activities or by natural disaster.

Shiju Zacharia, senior vice president and general manager of Crowley Government Solutions, said the cooperation with BWXT will be the privately held company's first move into the nuclear energy sector, and is a key part of its commitment to sustainable, alternative energy sources. "This concept supports the US Department of Energy's goal of maintaining US leadership in nuclear energy technology as well as many the US Department of Defense's strategic goals for operational energy," he said.

BWXT Advanced Technologies LLC President Joe Miller said: "We are excited to work alongside Crowley to leverage our ongoing reactor development and demonstration programs to expand nuclear technology into new and novel markets to deliver zero carbon emissions energy generation to strategic locations."

BWXT was selected in 2022 by the US Department of Defense Strategic Capabilities Office to build and demonstrate a TRISO-fuelled prototype mobile microreactor as part of Project Pele. The company's (BWXT Advanced Nuclear Reactor) transportable microreactor - a 50 MW (thermal) high-temperature gas microreactor - was one of five selected in December 2020 by the Department of Energy to receive a share of USD30 million in initial funding for risk reduction projects under its Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program.

The companies have not yet provided details of the microreactor technology envisaged for their new ship concept other than saying it would feature "the latest technology available".

Researched and written by World Nuclear News