New research explores how nuclear propulsion could transform the design, operation and emissions output of vessels in the commercial maritime industry.

Classification society ABS said it commissioned Herbert Engineering Corp. (HEC) to carry out the study to examine the potential of advanced modern reactor technology for commercial marine propulsion. The study is designed to help industry better understand the feasibility and safety implications of nuclear propulsion and to support future development projects.

The study, which involved input from leading nuclear reactor developers, modeled the impact of two, lead-cooled, 30MW fast reactors on a 14,000 TEU containership, finding it would likely increase cargo capacity and operational speed, while eliminating the need for refueling during its entire 25-year lifespan. On a 157,000 DWT Suezmax tanker, the study found the addition of four, 5MW, heat-pipe microreactors, while decreasing cargo capacity, would raise operational speeds and only require refueling once during its 25-year life. Both concept vessels would emit zero CO2.

“Our findings from this latest cutting-edge research underscore why the industry cannot afford to ignore the vast potential offered by nuclear propulsion both in terms of emissions reduction and operational efficiency. A net-zero world is more easily realized through nuclear propulsion, and we are putting in place the foundations for that future today. Turning this into a practical reality will require significant public sector support and ABS is well placed to bring governments and industry together,” said Christopher J. Wiernicki, ABS Chairman and CEO. “Advanced or small modular reactors address many of the issues traditionally associated with nuclear for commercial maritime use, with enhanced safety and efficiency, reduced cost and waste and proliferation prevention. Nevertheless, many questions need to be answered and it is critical that industry evaluate these technologies with a laser focus on safety.”

“HEC is pleased to be able to support ABS and explore the practical application of nuclear power on board. This study is helping us to understand in detail both the potential of modern reactor technology and how this will affect the design and operation of future vessels,” said Robert Tagg, Senior Principal Naval Architect at HEC.

ABS notes it is already playing a role in supporting the development of nuclear propulsion for commercial vessels. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded ABS a contract to research barriers to the adoption of advanced nuclear propulsion on commercial vessels. The DOE has also contracted ABS to support research into thermal-electric integration of a nuclear propulsion system on a commercial vessel being carried out by the University of Texas.

Women have only themselves to blame, rather than the male-dominated hierarchy, for their lack of drive to break through the glass ceiling and reach the corporate boardroom.

That's the consensus of a survey of companies without women board members conducted by The Asahi Shimbun ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8.

According to the World Economic Forum’s latest gender equality ranking, Japan dropped to 121st of the 153 nations overall, a record low.
Japan ranked 115th in economic fields. And its ranking fell further to 131st in the ratio of female managers.

The Cabinet Office’s figures for 2019 showed that women accounted for only 5.2 percent of all board directors of listed companies.

To determine why the proportion is so small, The Asahi Shimbun surveyed 14 companies with no women among their directors and auditors based on their latest financial statements. The 14 are among 100 leading companies the newspaper contacts twice a year to conduct a regular survey.

The 14 companies are Nitori Holdings Co., Kintetsu Group Holdings Co., Suntory Holdings Ltd., Suzuki Motor Corp., Canon Inc., Dai Nippon Printing Co., Central Japan Railway Co., Sharp Corp., Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Toray Industries Inc., Toto Ltd., DMG Mori Co., Mizuno Corp. and Secom Co.

Of these companies, 11 gave replies in response to the written inquiry.

With respect to the question for conditions that will make it easier for women to become boardroom members, five companies chose the answer, “Female employees need to increase their desire for promotion.”

Another five cited, “The number of female employees should be increased.”

Respondents were allowed to choose multiple answers given in the survey.

Two companies cited “reform the consciousness of top management” while one company chose “reform the consciousness of male employees.”

As for not having any female board members, six companies referred to, “Board members should be selected based on their competence and their gender is irrelevant.”

Another six companies cited that, “The number of female employees is small in the generation for candidates to become board members and there are only a limited number of women with work experience as managers and with board member potential.”

Of the 100 companies covered by The Asahi Shimbun, the overall number of female board members stood at 153, or 9.3 percent of the total.

But 131 of these women are either outside board directors or outside auditors. That means that the number of in-house women who climbed to the top after building their career there is extremely limited.

As a result, the chairmanship and 18 vice chairmanships of Keidanren (Japan Business Federation), the most influential business lobby comprising blue-chip companies, are all occupied by men.

Norwich ― The Board of Education has selected a Glastonbury school consulting firm to conduct a workplace climate and culture study of the school district in the wake of complaints by current and former staff that Superintendent Kristen Stringfellow fosters a climate of fear and intimidation.

The Board of Education voted July 6 to authorize Vice Chairman Mark Kulos to select a firm to conduct the study, delaying Stringfellow’s written performance evaluation until the study is completed.

School Climate Consultants of Glastonbury was selected from the half-dozen firms considered for the study, Kulos said Wednesday night. A contract for the service is not yet completed, but Kulos said the contract price will be $400 per hour. The group will begin work in mid-September, after students and staff settle into the new year, and will give an oral report to the Board of Education in early November, followed by a written report.

Kulos did not have a total cost estimate for the work and said the board would find the money in the budget.

“If there is immediate action recommended, the board would act at that meeting,” Kulos said.

The group will do the fact-finding portion through Zoom calls, working with the Norwich labor unions on how best to schedule sessions.

“They also have training sessions to Excellerate school climate,” Kulos said. “Hopefully, we will be able to use their services to repair any rifts between the teachers union, the administration and the (Board of Education).”

He said grants to address school climate and culture potentially could pay for future training sessions to Excellerate conditions.

Current and former school staff have complained for the past several months, mostly anonymously, about a climate of fear, intimidation and retaliation under Stringfellow’s leadership. Those who have retired or left the district for other positions said they fear Stringfellow would taint their records and hurt their chances to obtain other positions elsewhere.

In spring, the Connecticut Education Association, parent group to the Norwich Teachers League, conducted separate surveys of current and former teachers. Teachers and former teachers overwhelmingly agreed with survey statements that the school district has an unhealthy work environment.

The CEA presented the survey results to the Board of Education on July 3 and recommended the board conduct a climate and culture investigation with an outside firm mutually agreed upon by the board and the union. But the board instead chose to select the firm on its own to avoid any allegations of bias.

CEA officials could not be reached for comment Thursday.

“I have confidence in the Board of Education that their selection process was fair and that they selected experienced professionals to conduct the school culture and climate study,” Stringfellow said in an email to The Day. “I look forward to participating in the study and learning more about the plan moving forward.”

School Climate Consultants Principal Patricia Ciccone, a longtime Connecticut educator and administrator, will lead the Norwich investigation. Ciccone was not available for comment Thursday.

The biography on the firm’s website states that Ciccone recently retired as the Westbrook superintendent and prior to that, retired as superintendent for the Connecticut Technical High School System. She served as interim superintendent in Lebanon.

Ciccone is a member of the leadership team of the National School Climate Council. She is a certified trainer with the International Institute for Restorative Practices and is a faculty member at the National School Climate Center’s Summer Institute.

Kulos said any future services contracted from the consulting firm would depend on the findings in the initial study.

“We listened to the unions, and the board is very serious about conducting this fact-finding study to determine where the problems are and to restore the union’s faith in the Norwich Public Schools.”

c.bessette@theday.com

Dive Brief: 

• Hospital prices negotiated by insurers for their commercial plans are two- to three-times higher than Medicare Advantage plan prices at the same location for the same services, according to a new study published in Health Affairs. 
• The median commercial-to-MA price ratio in the same hospital was 1.8 for surgical and medical services, 2.4 for imaging, and 2.2 for laboratory tests and emergency department visits. On average, prices for commerical plans were betwen $660 and $707 more expensive than with MA. 
• Hospitals that were part of health systems, teaching institutions and large national insurers were associated with higher commercial-to-MA plan price ratios, according to the study. The finding comes as the cost of health insurance in the commercial market has risen over the past 10 years.

Dive Insight: 

The contrasting prices reflect the different financial incentives and regulatory policies between the two markets, the study noted. 

Out-of-network prices for MA plans — an increasingly popular arrangement where private insurers contract with the government to manage seniors’ care — are set at 100% of traditional Medicare fee-for-service rates, giving insurers better leverage in their negotiations with hospitals. 

Those MA plans face competition from traditional Medicare, so insurers are incentivized to ensure prices don’t rise too high in their MA offerings, according to the study. Hospitals might also be willing to take lower prices from MA plans as long as they receive higher rates from insurers’ commercial plan business.

Insurers take on more risk for their MA plans too, as they’re generally paid a set amount per enrollee to cover care for their beneficiaries. But much of the commercial plan market is dominated by self-funded employers, where companies pay out claims while insurers manage provider networks and handle claim administration.  

“All else being equal, insurers may accept higher prices for their commercial plans if it allows them to remain competitive in the MA market, where gross margins are nearly twice as high per enrollee,” the study’s authors wrote. 

Large national insurers — including Kaiser Permanente, Aetna, Humana, UnitedHealthcare, Blue Cross Blue Shield/Anthem, Centene and Cigna — had higher price ratios than other payers. The study found major insurers usually reported median price ratios above 2.0 for most or all sevice categories, excluding Centene. That challenges earlier research which found greater insurer market power was associated with lower commercial prices, suggesting insurers’ growing presence in the lucrative MA market may affect their commercial prices.

“In theory, this could attenuate their incentives to negotiate lower prices for their commercial plans if hospitals are otherwise unwilling to agree to be in network for their MA plans,” the study noted. 

The study’s findings come as commercial plan prices have risen over the past decade. High commercial prices for healthcare services end up being passed down to employees in lower wages, higher premiums and higher out-of-pocket costs, the Health Affairs study noted. About one-third of insured adults worry about affording their premiums, and 44% worry about paying deductibles, according to a survey by KFF.

The study comes as employers are increasingly disappointed with their insurance. They rated their health plans on overall quality, cost-effectiveness and value with “C” grades in a exact Leapfrog Group report, with just over half saying their plans are committed to reducing unnecessary costs.

© 2023 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Industry-Leading Project Models Impact of Nuclear Reactors on a Container Vessel and Tanker

HOUSTON, July 26, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The transformational impact of nuclear propulsion on the design, operation and emissions of a 14k TEU container vessel and a 157k DWT Suezmax tanker have been modeled by ABS and Herbert Engineering Corp. (HEC) in a groundbreaking study.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230726740650/en/

A concept design developed as part of the study. (Photo: Business Wire)

ABS commissioned HEC to carry out the study to explore the potential of advanced modern reactor technology for commercial marine propulsion. The study is designed to help industry better understand the feasibility and safety implications of nuclear propulsion and to support future development projects.

The study, which involved input from leading nuclear reactor developers, modeled the impact of two, lead-cooled, 30MW fast reactors on the container carrier, finding it would likely increase cargo capacity and operational speed, while eliminating the need for refueling during its entire 25-year lifespan. On the Suezmax vessel, the study found the addition of four, 5MW, heat-pipe microreactors, while decreasing cargo capacity, would raise operational speeds and only require refueling once during its 25-year life. Both concept vessels would emit zero CO₂.

"Our findings from this latest cutting-edge research underscore why the industry cannot afford to ignore the vast potential offered by nuclear propulsion both in terms of emissions reduction and operational efficiency. A net-zero world is more easily realized through nuclear propulsion, and we are putting in place the foundations for that future today. Turning this into a practical reality will require significant public sector support and ABS is well placed to bring governments and industry together," said Christopher J. Wiernicki, ABS Chairman and CEO. "Advanced or small modular reactors address many of the issues traditionally associated with nuclear for commercial maritime use, with enhanced safety and efficiency, reduced cost and waste and proliferation prevention. Nevertheless, many questions need to be answered and it is critical that industry evaluate these technologies with a laser focus on safety."

Story continues

"HEC is pleased to be able to support ABS and explore the practical application of nuclear power on board. This study is helping us to understand in detail both the potential of modern reactor technology and how this will affect the design and operation of future vessels," said Robert Tagg, Senior Principal Naval Architect at HEC.

ABS is playing a pioneering role in supporting the development of nuclear propulsion for commercial vessels. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded ABS a contract to research barriers to the adoption of advanced nuclear propulsion on commercial vessels. The DOE has also contracted ABS to support research into thermal-electric integration of a nuclear propulsion system on a commercial vessel being carried out by the University of Texas.

About ABS
ABS, a leading global provider of classification and technical advisory services to the marine and offshore industries, is committed to setting standards for safety and excellence in design and construction. Focused on safe and practical application of advanced technologies and digital solutions, ABS works with industry and clients to develop accurate and cost-effective compliance, optimized performance and operational efficiency for marine and offshore assets.

About HEC
HEC provides marine consulting, ship design, and software development services to shipowners, operators, shipyards, and government agencies.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230726740650/en/

Contacts

For more information
ABS Media Relations: jmire@eagle.org