The N.S. SAVANNAH Document Library is provided so that members of the public may have ready access to contemporary Maritime Administration documents related to the SAVANNAH. These include our current Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) license and license-basis documents; significant submittals to the NRC including recent annual reports; documents that describe the radiological conditions on the ship; and public presentation materials. Future additions to the library will include documents representing significant elements of the ship’s history.

Most of the documents found in this library collection have been rendered into a Portable Document Format (*.pdf). In some cases, the document or collection of documents may be available as a download in a compressed (*.ZIP) format. If you have any problems downloading the documents in this library, please contact us at savannah@dot.gov.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission License Document 

1.  License and Technical Specifications

The SAVANNAH has been continuously licensed by the NRC and its predecessor, the Atomic Energy Commission, since 1965. License No. NS-1 has been amended and renewed several times since its original issue: the current amendment is number 14, issued on April 3, 2008. The license will not expire; it remains in effect until terminated by the NRC. The following documents are available to view: (a) Forwarding Cover Letter,  (b) License and Technical Specifications , (c) Safety Evaluation , and (d) All Documents.

2. Updated Final Safety Analysis Reports

An application to construct a nuclear power plant is accompanied by a Preliminary Safety Analysis Report (PSAR)or to operate a nuclear power plant is accompanied by a Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR). These safety analyses contain information that describes the facility presents the design bases and the limits on plant operation and presents a safety analysis of the systems, structures, and components that comprise the facility as a whole. The FSAR is the principal document on which the NRC bases its decision to issue an operating license.The Final Safety Analysis Report is updated biennially and is referred to as the Updated Final Safety Analysis Report (UFSAR). The UFSAR is an updated reference document and reflects the content of license amendments, supplements and other changes made during the preceding period. In this way, the UFSAR balances the fact that the FSAR was the principal document supporting the initial licensing of the facility, and the practical needs for licensees to make changes to systems, structures, components, and programs described in the FSAR. Changes required to be incorporated into the UFSAR are defined by the NRC. Subsequent periodic updates are to ensure that the UFSAR remains current and addresses the appropriate licensing issues.The following UFSARs documents are available in the MARAD Electronic Document Reading Room.

3. Post Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report

Revisions to the NRC decommissioning regulations in 1996 introduced the Post Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report (PSDAR). The PSDAR includes a description of a licensee’s planned decommissioning activities, an estimate of the cost of those activities, and a schedule of their performance. Post Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report (PSDAR), Revision 1. The following documents are available to view: a) Forwarding Cover, Letter and b) PSDAR.

4. Decommissioning Environmental Assessments (EAs)

As a federal agency, the Maritime Administration is required to assess the environmental impacts of its undertakings under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as amended. This report was prepared for the agency in 2008 and then again in 2018 as part of its decommissioning decision-making process. The Supplemental EA (2018) analyzed the environmental effects of the Decommissioning - License Termination (DECON - LT) project at selected geographic locations. While the Initial EA (2008) solely analyzed NRC decommissioning options. The NRC may incorporate other federal agency environmental analyses in its licensing actions. 

The Maritime Administration submitted its Initial EA (2008) that including a Forwarding Cover Letter, Environmental Assessment, and the FONSI to the NRC for its information and use. The Supplemental EA (2018) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) are available for view at https://www.regulations.gov/FONSI.

5. Facility Annual Reports

The Maritime Administration is required to submit an annual report to the NRC for the preceding calendar year, prior to March 1. The content of the annual report is defined in the license Technical Specifications. The agency includes several other regulatory reports in its facility annual report for convenience.The following Facility Annual Reports are available in the MARAD Electronic Document Reading Room.

6. Decomissiong Funds Status Report

Licensed Nuclear Power Facilities are required to report the status of their decommissioning funds to the NRC periodically, as defined in 10 CFR 50.75. The Maritime Administration is required to report annually under this regulation. Through and including Calendar Year 2008, the agency included its Decommissioning Funds Status Reports in its Annual Report. Beginning with Calendar Year 2009, the Decommissioning Funds Status Report was submitted separately. The following Decon Funding Reports are available to view at https://www.maritime.dot.gov/about-us/foia/electronic-reading-room

N.S. SAVANNAH Characterization Survey Report and Related Documents

The N.S. SAVANNAH Characterization Project was conducted from March 20, 2005 to April 25, 2005. It was a survey designed to provide the Maritime Administration with an updated profile of radiological and environmental contaminants on the ship. Most of the sampling was concentrated in the ship’s Radiologically Controlled Areas, with some other sampling performed in public areas and other non-Radiologically Controlled Areas. The information obtained from this project enabled the agency to develop appropriate decommissioning strategies and to estimate their associated costs. A follow-on project was conducted to obtain metallurgical samples from the Neutron Shield Tank, Reactor Pressure Vessel wall, and internal thermal shields for the purpose of classifying the RPV for disposal purposes. The report of that project can be found here. The characterization effort was implemented in accordance with a pre-established Characterization Plan that included project-specific procedures encompassing radiological aspects of the project. All of the Survey and related documents are available in the MARAD Electronic Document Reading Room.

General Information

Public Information Meeting Canton (Baltimore), Maryland, May 2018. This was a briefing given to the public of Baltimore, MD, to provide an overview of the Decommissioning – License Termination (DECON – LT) project:Public Meeting Presentation.

Public Information Meeting Canton (Baltimore), Maryland, July 2008. This was a briefing given to the public of Baltimore, MD, following the lay berthing of the N.S. SAVANNAH at the Canton Marine Terminal: Public Meeting Presentation.