The Port of Long Beach has signed a nonbinding Memorandum of Cooperation with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) to advance small modular reactor (SMR) technology across commercial vessels, port operations, and maritime assets. The agreement marks the first formal partnership between MARAD and a U.S. seaport aimed at exploring nuclear power for commercial shipping, aligning federal policy with port electrification goals.
Under the framework, the Port and MARAD will collaborate with the U.S. Coast Guard, Department of Energy, and Nuclear Regulatory Commission to establish operational protocols, safety standards, and inspection procedures for SMR-powered vessels calling at U.S. ports. The initiative builds on MARAD’s May 2026 Request for Information regarding U.S.-built scalable reactors and complements a recent lease with BlueCore Energy Inc. to assemble, test, and store maritime power modules at the port.
The agreement requires no financial commitments, procurement decisions, or reactor deployments. Currently moving $300b in cargo annually and supporting 2.7m U.S. jobs, the Port of Long Beach projects its annual throughput to double to 20m TEUs by 2050, driving up long-term energy demand as cargo handling equipment and terminal operations undergo further electrification.