International Maritime Organization – 12th Meeting of the Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Construction (SDC12)

The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) is a maritime treaty that sets the minimum standards for merchant ship construction, equipment, and operation. These efforts have yielded some significant outcomes, most notably the decision at the Maritime Safety Committee meeting 110 (MSC110) to instruct the Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Construction (SDC) to commence a revision of the Code. This revision will take considerable effort, and coordinating this work will be critical if a revised Code is to be put in place in a timeframe that meets the ambitions of the nuclear industry. WNTI provided the IMO with a comprehensive Gap Analysis to support ongoing work towards achieving this revision.

The 12th meeting of the Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Construction (SDC12) will take place between 19th and 23rd January 2026. One of the first tasks for SDC12 will be to agree a work plan for the analysis and revision of the Code. WNTI, together with our cosponsors, has submitted IMO – SDC 12-9 – Work plan for revision of SOLAS chapter VIII and the Code of Safety for Nuclear Merchant Ships. (WNTI, ITF and RINA) and IMO – SDC 12-9-2 – Establishment of a correspondence group on the revision of SOLAS chapter VIII and the Code of Safety for Nuclear Merchant Ships (WNTI, ITF and RINA). These documents propose a work plan and establishment of a correspondence group to help expedite the analysis and subsequent revision of SOLAS Ch.VIII the Code.

It is proposed that, the specific work plan for revision of SOLAS chapter VIII and the Nuclear Code should include the following areas:

1. Review of previously submitted documents to evaluate which elements should be taken forward.
2. Further development and clarification of the gap analysis in document MSC 108/INF.21.
3. Analysis of the Nuclear Code against other parts of SOLAS.
4. Consideration of the structure of the Nuclear Code.
5. Consideration of how to address inconsistencies between the Code and other parts of SOLAS.
6. Assessment of IAEA vs. IMO areas of responsibility and consideration of how to ensure consistency between their requirements.
7. Analysis of the Nuclear Code against IMO instruments other than SOLAS, and consideration of how to address identified inconsistencies.
8. Revision of the Nuclear Code based on document MSC 108/INF.21, the analysis outlined above and new proposals addressing identified issues.
9. Review of SOLAS chapter VIII and consideration of need for amendments.

The revision and updating of the Nuclear Code and SOLAS Chapter VIII will be a complex task, that could take a decade to complete. This will mean that the technology developers and ship builders will not have clarity until into the next decade. It is therefore essential that all means are used to progress this work, including through inter-sessional work by the establishment of a suitable correspondence group.

WNTI has also submitted document IMO – SDC 12-INF.15 – Analysis of the structure of the Nuclear Code and comparison against other IMO instrument. This document has been prepared by Nuclear Energy Maritime Organization (NEMO) but was submitted by WNTI while NEMO complete the process of finalising their NGO status at the IMO. It reports on an analysis of the structure on the Nuclear Code against other IMO instruments. The information contained in this document should facilitate SDC when reviewing and revising the Nuclear Code.

WNTI is not the only organisation to have submitted documents to SDC12 concerning the revision of the Nuclear Code and SOLAS VIII. The below documents capture the proposals made by other parties and indicate the rise in interest among the Member States and International Organisations towards updated the Nuclear Code and SOLAS Ch.VIII, since WNTI first raised the topic several years ago.

• The United States has proposed that SDC prioritise the revision of the Nuclear Code – download.
• The Kingdom of the Netherlands supported the establishment of a roadmap for the revision of the Nuclear Code, highlighting the importance of the IAEA Atomic Technology Licenced for Applications at Sea (ATLAS) project. They also emphasise the need to develop a regulatory framework for Floating Nuclear Power Plants (FNPP) – download.
• France examined the need to establish a methodical approach when revising Nuclear Code which would include input from the IAEA ATLAS project. This could, in the future, provide a path to regulate FNPPs – download.
• The Russian Federation called for the establishment of working groups and correspondence groups. It also considered the possibility of developing a new code, rather than a ‘bulky array of amendments’ to the existing Nuclear Code – download.
• The International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) emphasised the need to include other IMO Committees in the process of reviewing and revising the Nuclear Code – download.
• The European Commission provided information about a study carried out by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and awarded to a consortium led by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), and included Texas A&M University and consultant ARCSILEA – download.