Maritime leaders Lloyd’s Register and AP Moller Maersk will research the safety and operational requirements of launching a “Pink Corridor” nuclear shipping route between the US and UK in collaboration with the US Port of Charleston and the UK’s Felixstowe.

The companies said the project would focus on the security and safeguard operations required for such a nuclear-powered shipping route.

If successful, the project would move to a potential second phase covering the engineering, regulatory and legislative requirements that such a route would need.

The companies said the project would be centred on a conceptual nuclear-powered containership and would also cover ship security, cyber resilience, emergency response, insurance regimes and alignment between nuclear and maritime regulations.