Nuclear Dirigo

Left to right: Midshipmen “Duke” Wellington, “Mac” McGovern, and George Luddy, MMA Class of 1964, conducting experiments on the Model 9000 subcritical training reactor. (Photo: MMA)

The catalyst for his decision was the upcoming commissioning by the U.S. Maritime Administration of the NS Savannah, the world’s first nuclear-powered merchant ship. This vessel, the crowning technological achievement of the Eisenhower administration’s Atoms for Peace program, successfully demonstrated the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Dirigo, Latin for “I lead,” is the motto of the great state of Maine. It is also an apt characteristic of MMA’s early vision and principal role in steering the commercial maritime industry into the atomic age. Today, there is another mission, also peaceful, but high stakes: meeting domestic and global decarbonization goals within the next few decades.

The 100,000 vessels that make up the global maritime fleet account for 3 percent of total emissions worldwide. MMA is answering the call for decarbonization—and for building a workforce that can help reach those goals.

MMA is one of six maritime academies in the United States—and one of only 79 in the world. It is distinct among U.S. academies because of its history teaching nuclear engineering. The first courses appeared on the curriculum in the fall semester of 1960.

By March 1961, instruction in nuclear ship propulsion—previously taught theoretically—was being supplemented by laboratory work on the Nuclear Chicago Corporation’s Model 9000 subcritical training reactor. By September of that same year, a second reactor and a nuclear power plant simulator were added at the newly constructed Andrews Marine Engineering Laboratory.

MMA became the only site in northern New England to house such a facility and was also the only state maritime academy that had a nuclear engineering program with a nexus to the NS Savannah. (The other school was the federal U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.)

In 1995, when the nuclear industry reached its economic nadir, the program was suspended; but by the early 2000s, engineering faculty were reintroducing nuclear into special-topic courses as awareness of climate issues and the need for finding sources of clean energy grew.

Finally, in February 2023, then MMA president Jerald S. Paul established the MMA Nuclear Working Group to outline current technological trends in the arenas of decarbonization and the development of maritime nuclear propulsion applications, coupled with requests by industry stakeholders. It was evident that a renewal was underway, and for MMA it was a clarion call to reconstitute the nuclear engineering minor program.

Current and relevant industrial practices were applied to the development of the first course, “Introduction to Nuclear Engineering Operations,” which first appeared on the curriculum for the fall 2023 semester. Other related courses followed—“Nuclear Materials and Applications” and “Risk Assessment and Reliability Engineering”—which were supplemented by a revamped curriculum including coursework on steam-driven propulsion and power generation, sustainable energy and society, and environmental regulations and compliance.

By a unanimous vote of the faculty senate, MMA officially reconstituted its Nuclear Engineering minor in March of this year after a hiatus of three decades. In May, the first cohort of those students graduated.

Prof. Lance Burton teaching a class in radiological controls in 2023. (Photo: MMA)

In addition to providing its students a quality education focused on marine and related programs, MMA offers rigorous and effective training for the U.S. Coast Guard unlimited program as a Third Mate or a Third Assistant Engineer. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 1982 addressed the need for training in their Resolution A.491(XII), “Code for Safety for Nuclear Merchant Ships.” It states, in part, “The minimum number of crew members carried on a nuclear ship as well as their qualification should comply with the requirements of the Operating Manual approved by the Administration and should ensure that the ship and its NPP can be safely operated and maintained.”

Moreover, the IMO requires completion of an appropriate course and examination for both deck and engineering officers. At this point, however, there are no approved IMO Nuclear Power Operator courses. MMA’s development of both reactor and senior reactor operator courses would likely be accomplished in partnership with other academic institutions, as well as regulatory agencies coupled with international approval. Once adopted by the IMO, these courses would provide a standardized training regime for all Nuclear Merchant Mariners.

Additionally, MMA is now the recognized leader of advocating and planning for the development of Nuclear Merchant Mariners. Elements of the core curriculum are in place, and MMA has a clear vision of what the industry needs going forward. MMA brings a wealth of experience and critical maritime assets to the concept of the floating nuclear power plant (FNPP). Our renowned Tug and Barge program is a vital resource for the FNPP. At the heart of MMA’s Tug and Barge program, the tug Pentagoet provides students with unique hands-on opportunities. Working with this 230-foot notched barge, our students are exposed to all aspects of this growing sector of the marine industry.

MMA’s tug and barge. (Photo: MMA)

An FNPP system is ideally suited for the rugged coastline of Maine and its many remote island communities. This makes the Oyster Bay Barge an ideal platform for an FNPP demonstration. In fact, the program has successfully navigated the barge from the Castine Waterfront, up the Penobscot River to Bangor, Maine.

Lastly, it should be noted that nearby Bucksport is a city whose 174-MW power generating station is adjacent to MMA’s Center for Professional Mariner Development (CPMD). This infrastructure, which belonged to the now-defunct Verso Paper, is of strategic importance for the future growth of CPMD—specifically, its ability to tie the FNPP into the local energy grid.

MMA’s reentry into the nuclear sphere is timely, because numerous early-stage development projects are underway across the industry, covering mobile floating power assets as well as development of various types of vessel propulsion concepts. Now is the time to build the pipeline of jointly qualified maritime and nuclear workers needed to have the highly skilled workforce that will be required.

None of this can move forward without a maritime workforce that can operate assets with nuclear technology onboard. The workforce needs will be many, including the following:

Licensed mariners who can operate maritime assets with embedded advanced nuclear technology onboard.

Naval architects and marine engineers who can lead the design and construction of maritime assets with embedded advanced nuclear technology.

Port engineers and supporting technical teams who can manage and execute sustainment and support activities (regulatory, logistics, etc.).

The engineering and industrial workforce base for nuclear propulsion and shoreside power generation continues to be increasingly constrained. Escalation in development of infrastructure and advanced technologies in these fields is paramount to efforts toward decarbonization throughout global maritime networks, military platforms, and shoreside zero-emission power plants. It is also important to America’s national security and energy independence. The Naval Sea Systems Command’s Submarine Industrial Base office estimates that an additional 80,000–100,000 Americans will be required to build the future of undersea strategic deterrence over the next ten years. Analogous projections apply in the domestic shipbuilding industrial base and the global shoreside nuclear power industry.

The need is great. While there are education and workforce development programs for maritime workers and for nuclear workers, MMA has the only program currently in place that covers both domains. The academy’s role is critical for the industry to move forward.

Paul A. Wlodkowski is the Edward Mossman Endowed Chair Professor of Nuclear Engineering Technology at the Maine Maritime Academy.