IMO: Draft workplan agreed on safety rules for battery, wind and nuclear-powered ships

IMO’s Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Construction (SDC) has finalised a workplan to develop a safety regulatory framework for ships using new technologies and alternative fuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The draft workplan will be submitted to the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 111) for approval in May 2026. 

The workplan will involve developing or amending existing safety regulations that are under the purview of the SDC Sub-Committee, related to nuclear power; wind-propulsion and wind-assisted power; and lithium-ion batteries and swappable traction battery containers on ships.   

KEY OUTCOMES

• Draft workplan agreed to develop a safety framework for selected GHG-reducing technologies
• Actions to reduce underwater radiated noise from ships
• Draft guidelines on remote inspection techniques for ESP surveys agreed
• Draft revised Guidelines for the use of fibre-reinforced plastics (FRP) within ship structures (related to fire safety) agreed

Closing the 12th session of the Sub-Committee, which met from 19 to 23 January in London, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said the completion of the work plan was a “major achievement”. 

He added: “This will ensure that safety considerations evolve in parallel with the rapid technological progress driven by the IMO’s Strategy on the Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships”

• Read the full meeting summary