<p data-path-to-node="5" id="p-rc_fb5f9ab7c1e58526-179" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span class="citation-346" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">India has extended its formal support to the </span><b data-path-to-node="5" data-index-in-node="66" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA)</b><span class="citation-346" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> global initiative to advance and commercialize </span><b data-path-to-node="5" data-index-in-node="157" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">nuclear propulsion for civilian merchant ships and floating nuclear power units</b><span class="citation-346 citation-end-346" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c4109436689="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c4109436689="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="1" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c652880515="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c652880515="" _nghost-ng-c3947949641="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p><p data-path-to-node="6" id="p-rc_fb5f9ab7c1e58526-180" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span class="citation-345" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">The multilateral push, spearheaded by the IAEA under its </span><b data-path-to-node="6" data-index-in-node="57" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">ATLAS (Atomic Technologies Licensed for Applications at Sea)</b><span class="citation-345 citation-end-345" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> framework, seeks to establish standardized global safety, licensing, and regulatory mechanisms to deploy small modular reactors (SMRs) and advanced microreactors across deep-sea cargo fleets, offering a true zero-emission alternative to fossil marine fuels.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c4109436689="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c4109436689="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="2" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c652880515="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c652880515="" _nghost-ng-c3947949641="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p><h3 data-path-to-node="8" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">Key Operational Highlights &amp; Strategic Roadmap</h3><ul data-path-to-node="9" style="padding-inline-start: 32px; font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="9,0,0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="9,0,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Next-Generation Maritime Decarbonization:</b> As global shipping faces stringent International Maritime Organization (IMO) net-zero greenhouse gas targets, nuclear-powered propulsion provides continuous high-speed transit without greenhouse gas or particulate emissions, eliminating bunkering frequency constraints.</p></li><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="9,1,0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="9,1,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Standardizing Marine Nuclear Regulations:</b> The IAEA initiative focuses on bridging regulatory gaps between nuclear safety watchdogs, classification societies, flag states, and port authorities to create harmonized international safety standards and port-entry protocols for nuclear-powered merchant vessels.</p></li><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="9,2,0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="9,2,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Deploying Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) at Sea:</b> Advances in factory-fabricated SMRs and molten salt reactor (MSR) architectures offer compact, passively safe, and proliferation-resistant propulsion systems suited for large containerships, bulkers, tankers, and floating offshore energy platforms.</p></li><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="9,3,0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="9,3,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Strategic Value for India’s Maritime Ecosystem:</b> Backing civilian maritime nuclear adoption aligns with India's established domestic nuclear technology capabilities, supporting indigenous R&amp;D in marine nuclear engineering, shipyard construction readiness, and long-term green shipping frameworks.</p></li><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="9,4,0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="9,4,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Transforming Global Supply Chain Economics:</b> Nuclear-propelled commercial vessels offer lifetime fuel capabilities spanning 10 to 25 years without mid-life refueling, drastically reducing long-term lifecycle operating costs and shielding ocean carriers from volatile marine fuel pricing cycles.</p></li></ul>