Long Beach is first port to partner with MARAD on maritime reactors

July 28, 2026, 9:14AMNuclear News
The MARAD–Port of Long Beach MOC is displayed by Port of Long Beach CEO Noel Hacegaba (seated, left) and MARAD Administrator Stephen Carmel (seated, right). Standing behind, from the left, are Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners president Frank Colonna, BlueCore Energy CEO Kofi Asante, and American Association of Port Authorities president and CEO Sang Yi. (Photo: Port of Long Beach)

The Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration has signed a first-of-a-kind memorandum of cooperation (MOC) with the Port of Long Beach, in southern California, to advance the development of small modular reactors for powering commercial vessels, ports, and other maritime assets. With the signing, Long Beach became the first U.S. seaport to form a partnership with MARAD on commercial nuclear-powered maritime vessels. The federal maritime agency had issued a request for information in May seeking industry input on the development of domestic, scalable, commercially viable reactors for U.S. marine transportation.