U.S. Center for Maritime Innovation hosts Innovation Café on Small Modular Reactors

The U.S. Center for Maritime Innovation (USCMI), with the Maritime Administration and facilitated by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), convened maritime, energy, and public-sector leaders for its Innovation Café focused on Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technologies for maritime applications, advancing dialogue on next-generation propulsion and energy solutions for the U.S. maritime sector.

As Secretariat of USCMI, ABS plays a central role in leading and facilitating industry dialogue to advance maritime innovation. Hosted at ABS’s office in Washington, D.C., the Innovation Café brought together innovators, startups, shipping companies, shipyards, ports, SMR developers and key government stakeholders to examine emerging concepts, assess economics, and identify pathways for adoption of small modular reactors in commercial maritime applications.

The event was kicked off by U.S. Maritime Administrator Stephen Carmel, who emphasized the importance of aligning maritime innovation with operational realities and national priorities.

“The future of U.S. maritime strength depends on our ability to align innovation with real operational and economic outcomes,” said Maritime Administrator Stephen Carmel. “Bringing stakeholders together through forums like the USCMI Innovation Café ensures we are not only exploring transformative technologies like small modular reactors, but doing so in a way that strengthens our industrial base, enhances resilience, and delivers practical value to the maritime transportation system.”

“We are pleased to convene this Innovation Café and bring together leading voices from across the maritime and energy sectors,” said David Walker, Secretariat for the U.S. Center for Maritime Innovation. “These discussions create real value by connecting stakeholders, aligning perspectives, and helping to accelerate practical pathways for integrating innovative solutions like SMRs into the maritime ecosystem.”

Throughout the session, participants engaged in collaborative discussions on the technical, regulatory, and commercial considerations surrounding SMR integration.

As the congressionally authorized hub for maritime technology advancement, USCMI, facilitated by ABS under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Maritime Administration, continues to play a central role in fostering collaboration and accelerating innovation across the maritime transportation system.

The Innovation Café is part of an ongoing series of engagements designed to connect industry leaders, government leaders and innovators, helping define actionable pathways for deploying cutting-edge technologies that enhance sustainability, efficiency and global competitiveness in the U.S. maritime sector.