Page 6: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (October 2026)

Back to the Drawing Board

Image courtesy Rik van Hemmen/AI that there are unusual liability con- cluded, said: “Who cares about insur- to put a man on the moon before we cerns by insurance providers and neg- ance. Tell me I can build ships with started the project, the public would ative perception by the public. SMRs and we will ? gure out the in- have called it crazy, and they were all

I have lived within the insurance in- surance on the ? y.” That is what ship- wrong because they knew nothing dustry for half a century. Underwrit- owners do. They ? nd something they about getting a man on the moon.

ers always have concerns, but those like, and they clear the way with their I don’t think there is any data on the concerns are always papered over with suppliers. public’s attitude to nuclear commer- premiums. That is the nature of in- It also makes me think of a comment cial vessels. As a matter of fact, when surance. To worry about that as a po- a wise attorney once made to me: I AI’d that issue it basically copied the tential issue is as useless as worrying sentiment in the report, but provided about taxes. Like taxes, insurance will “Rik, don’t invite attorneys to con- no background data (a classic case of be a problem and like taxes it will be cept meetings, they will think of so AI groupthink). Quite frankly, to ask resolved. Insurance is not a technical many potential barriers the concept the public about commercial nuclear or even a social problem. It just hap- will never get off the ground.” vessels is pointless since they have nev- pens, whether it is an OPA 90 resolu- er dealt with one. tion (pretty cool) or a national ? ood Add the public and politicians to But let’s look at the real world. insurance program (pretty stupid) or the mix, and we are talking ultimate When was the last time there was a health insurance (which is not really infant death. demonstration against nuclear power insurance anyway). Meanwhile, moving mountains is at all? And if there was such a dem-

In June I attended an insurance easy; you just do it one shovel at a onstration it was a NIMBY dem- function, and MARAD administra- time. All you need to do is bring a onstration, and if there is one thing tor Carmel, as the keynote speaker, shovel. In this case a nuclear commer- maritime is famous for it is a lack of focused on insurance for vessels with cial vessel. backyards. As a matter of fact, we

SMRs. One can assume he wanted to When the shovel shows up, we will know the public barely knows mari- discuss this issue in this forum based know what the public thinks of it. You time exists. on the results of the report. can only get a real public reaction to a I understand there was some tepid

I was sitting next to a shipowner real thing. If we asked the public’s re- pushback at some ports of call for the who, before the speech actually con- action as to whether it would be smart NS Savannah in the 1960’s, but the 6 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • October 2026

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