US offshore vessel owner Hornbeck Offshore has invested in microreactor developer Deployable Energy and signed an MoU to explore nuclear power for offshore vessels, floating platforms and other maritime applications, according to Deployable Energy.
The partners will assess five potential markets for Deployable Energy’s 1 MWe Unity Nuclear Battery: inland waterways, offshore vessels and platforms, national security logistics and autonomous vessels, power barges, and floating data centres.
A joint working group will examine vessel integration, project economics, licensing, financing and commercial structures, initially focusing on US applications.
Deployable Energy is targeting at least a 20% reduction in total cost of ownership compared with conventional marine diesel power or grid electricity. It also sees potential for multi-gigawatt deployment over a 10-year period.
The Unity reactor is designed for integration into vessels without requiring ships to be built around the nuclear plant. Deployable Energy says refuelling intervals would exceed five years. Its demonstration reactor reached initial criticality at Idaho National Laboratory on 30 June 2026, about 150 days after the project began.
A full-power demonstration is planned for 2027. The agreement is not a reactor order. Any deployment would require feasibility work, front-end engineering, detailed design and regulatory approvals before initial deployment and possible wider fleet adoption. It also remains subject to technical and commercial development and definitive agreements.
Houston-based Deployable Energy is a microreactor developer led by Australian co-founder and chief executive Bobby Gallagher. Its technology is intended for industrial, defence, remote-power and maritime applications.
Hornbeck Offshore Services, Inc. is a US marine transportation services company founded in 1997 by Todd M. Hornbeck, who serves as chairman, president and chief executive. Its customer base includes the energy sector, the US government, offshore wind and other non-oilfield markets.