Nuclear Ship Savannah

1.0 Site Identification

Type of Site:	Power Reactor Facility
Location:	Baltimore, MD
License No.:	NS-1
Docket No.:	50-238
License Status:	DECON
Project Manager:	Tanya Hood

2.0 Site Status Summary

The Nuclear Ship (NS) Savannah was removed from service in 1970 and is now berthed in Baltimore, MD.  All fuel was removed from the ship in October of 1971.  The ship's reactor pressure vessel was safely removed on November 8, 2022 and transported by rail to EnergySolutions' low-level radioactive waste disposal facility in Clive, Utah.

The ship is a registered National Historic Landmark, the licensee intends to pursue the DECON industrial work in a fashion that minimizes any physical affect to adjacent ship structure. The decommissioning work is being performed by Nuclear Ship Support Services LLC, which is a joint venture of EnergySolutions and Radiation Safety and Control Services Inc. The NRC continues to perform inspections of those activities.

The NS Savannah DECON and license termination project includes three phases to take place over seven years. The first phase is planning and engineering. The second phase is industrial dismantlement which includes removing systems such as: the reactor pressure vessel, neutron shield tank, control rode drive system, heat exchangers, steam generators, primary system piping, pressurizer and more. The third and last phase is license termination.

United States Maritime Administration (MARAD), submitted an updated Post-Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report (PSDAR), Revision 1, to the NRC on December 11, 2008. The scope of dismantlement described in the PSDAR is based on several fundamental assumptions, 1) the ship itself is not dismantled as part of DECON; 2) existing accesses are utilized to support dismantlement of systems and components; and 3) major structures will not be dismantled. These assumptions are based, in part, on National Historic Preservation Act requirements and satisfactory final status surveys (FSS).

The Licensee submitted a license termination plan on October 23, 2023. The NRC staff accepted the plan and a related license amendment request for formal review in a letter issued on December 15, 2023. The licensee anticipates requesting license termination to be effective in December 2025, provided all prerequisite actions are complete at that time. A public meeting Is scheduled for May 8, 2024. The meeting is scheduled from 6-7:30 p.m. Eastern time onboard the NS Savannah. Members of the public can view the information on the NRC’s public meeting page.

3.0 Major Technical or Regulatory Issues

None

4.0 Estimated Date For Closure

Calendar year 2031