School of International Law, East China University of Political Science and Law, Shanghai 201620, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Feb 8;20(4):2993. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20042993.
In recent years, the use of nuclear energy as propulsion for merchant ships has been proposed as a means of promoting the transition toward maritime decarbonization and environmentally sustainable shipping. However, there are concerns that nuclear-powered merchant ships could pose risks to the marine environment in the event of accidents, such as collisions, machinery failure or damage, fire, or explosions. The current international regulatory framework for nuclear-powered merchant ships is insufficient to address these risks. This research aims to address this gap by conducting a policy analysis of the existing regulations and a critical examination of their effectiveness in addressing the environmental risks of nuclear-powered merchant ships. Through this analysis, the study identifies the shortcomings and insufficiencies in the current framework and explores potential solutions to improve it, with the goal of enhancing the international community's ability to mitigate the potential impacts of radioactive marine pollution from nuclear-propelled ships in an era of maritime decarbonization.
近年来，有人提议将核能作为商船的推进动力，以此推动向海上脱碳和环境可持续航运的转变。然而，人们担心如果发生事故，如碰撞、机械故障或损坏、火灾或爆炸，核动力商船可能会对海洋环境造成风险。目前，国际上针对核动力商船的监管框架不足以应对这些风险。本研究旨在通过对现有法规进行政策分析，并对其在应对核动力商船的环境风险方面的有效性进行批判性审查，来填补这一空白。通过这项分析，研究发现了当前框架的缺点和不足，并探讨了改进的潜在解决方案，以期提高国际社会在海上脱碳时代减轻核动力船舶放射性海洋污染潜在影响的能力。
