Korea Maritime and Ocean University proposes UN maritime nuclear safety body for Busan

Korea Maritime and Ocean University has formally proposed to Busan Mayor-elect Jeon Jae-soo that the city attract and establish a UN-affiliated body — tentatively named the International Maritime Nuclear Safety Organization, or IMNO — that would serve as the world's first agency dedicated to testing and certifying marine small modular reactors, the university announced Thursday.

The university said that just as diesel once replaced steam as the dominant ship propulsion system, SMRs are now poised to displace diesel. Russia already operates SMR-powered icebreakers, and major shipyards in South Korea, China and Japan have begun designing SMR-propelled vessels in earnest. The era of SMR-powered ships, the university said, "is no longer a distant future."

A critical gap remains, however: no internationally recognized safety certification system exists for such vessels to enter ports around the world. The university argued that classification society certificates, which vary by country, cannot guarantee global acceptance, making the creation of a credible UN specialized agency to fill that void "an urgent priority."

The university conveyed to Jeon's transition team its proposal that South Korea move proactively to bring IMNO to Busan and seize leadership in the global marine SMR market. Under the proposal, IMNO would oversee the testing and certification that SMR-powered ships must complete before entering any port, with safety certificates issued in Busan serving as a "global free pass" accepted at ports worldwide.

The university said it plans to work closely with the Busan city government to accelerate the bid for the UN specialized agency, with the goal of making the IMNO project a centerpiece of the incoming city administration.

Kim Jong-do, head of the university's marine SMR promotion team, said that if Busan controls the testing and certification gateway for this market, the city stands to gain an influx of roughly 6,000 research personnel, stable certification revenue through preemptive international standardization, and the historic distinction of hosting South Korea's first UN specialized agency. "Most importantly," Kim added, "large-scale budget support and cooperation from the central government are essential to building a marine SMR testing and certification platform and attracting and establishing an international organization such as IMNO."