U.S. Center for Maritime Innovation Convenes Industry and Government Leaders for Innovation Café on Small Modular Reactors
WASHINGTON, D.C., May 21, 2026 — The U.S. Center for Maritime Innovation (USCMI), with the Maritime Administration and facilitated by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), convened maritime, energy, and public-sector leaders for its Innovation Café focused on Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technologies for maritime applications, advancing dialogue on next-generation propulsion and energy solutions for the U.S. maritime sector.
As Secretariat of USCMI, ABS plays a central role in leading and facilitating industry dialogue to advance maritime innovation. Hosted at ABS’s office in Washington, D.C., the Innovation Café brought together innovators, startups, shipping companies, shipyards, ports, SMR developers and key government stakeholders to examine emerging concepts, assess economics, and identify pathways for adoption of small modular reactors in commercial maritime applications.
The event was kicked off by U.S. Maritime Administrator Stephen Carmel, who emphasized the importance of aligning maritime innovation with operational realities and national priorities.
“The future of U.S. maritime strength depends on our ability to align innovation with real operational and economic outcomes,” said Maritime Administrator Stephen Carmel. “Bringing stakeholders together through forums like the USCMI Innovation Café ensures we are not only exploring transformative technologies like small modular reactors, but doing so in a way that strengthens our industrial base, enhances resilience, and delivers practical value to the maritime transportation system.”
“We are pleased to convene this Innovation Café and bring together leading voices from across the maritime and energy sectors,” said David Walker, Secretariat for the U.S. Center for Maritime Innovation. “These discussions create real value by connecting stakeholders, aligning perspectives, and helping to accelerate practical pathways for integrating innovative solutions like SMRs into the maritime ecosystem.”
Throughout the session, participants engaged in collaborative discussions on the technical, regulatory, and commercial considerations surrounding SMR integration.
As the congressionally authorized hub for maritime technology advancement, USCMI, facilitated by ABS under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Maritime Administration, continues to play a central role in fostering collaboration and accelerating innovation across the maritime transportation system.
The Innovation Café is part of an ongoing series of engagements designed to connect industry leaders, government leaders and innovators, helping define actionable pathways for deploying cutting-edge technologies that enhance sustainability, efficiency and global competitiveness in the U.S. maritime sector.
Photo Caption: U.S. Maritime Administrator Stephen Carmel
About USCMI
The James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (NDAA) directed the Secretary of Transportation, through a competitive cooperative agreement, to establish a United States Center for Maritime Innovation to support the study, research, development, assessment, and deployment of emerging marine technologies and practices related to the maritime transportation system (MTS). MARAD ultimately selected the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) to establish and maintain the U.S. Center for Maritime Innovation as its secretariat. Support for the congressionally authorized Center comes from MARAD’s Office of Innovation through the Maritime Environmental and Technical Assistance (META) program. USCMI supports a wide range of maritime innovation critical to a safe, efficient, and competitive MTS.
About ABS
ABS, a global leader in classification services, is focused on delivering a safer, cleaner future for the marine and offshore industries. For over 160 years, ABS has been setting standards for safety and excellence and continues to innovate in the fields of clean technology, digitalization and artificial intelligence, providing industry-leading technical advisory services. ABS also serves as the Secretariat for the U.S. Center for Maritime Innovation (USCMI), supporting collaboration between industry and government to accelerate the development and deployment of advanced maritime technologies. With a global network of surveyors, engineers, technology specialists and support staff, ABS works with industry leaders including its members and clients around the world to improve safety in operational performance and efficiency with innovative solutions for the complete life cycle of marine and offshore assets.