This photo, provided by SeAH Besteel Corp. on Monday, shows casks for spent nuclear fuel to be exported to a US company. (Yonhap)

South Korean steelmaker SeAH Besteel Corp. said Monday it will deliver three dry casks used to store spent nuclear fuel to a US nuclear logistics company.

The delivery comes some six months after SeAH Besteel signed a deal for 17 casks with Orano TN, which provides total system solutions for used nuclear fuel and radioactive waste management.

SeAH Besteel said it marks the first time for a South Korean firm to export finished casks for spent nuclear fuel to the US market.

The three casks will be supplied to American energy companies and an additional shipment will be made within this year, it added.

Casks refer to steel cylinders that are used to store spent nuclear fuel rods and surrounded by additional steel, concrete or other material to shield workers and the general public from radiation.

SeAH Besteel said the first shipment will help the company clinch more deals from foreign companies and tap deeper into the US and other overseas markets.

Industry watchers said the world's nuclear decommissioning market is expected to grow fast down the road, with South Korea alone slated to decommission 12 nuclear reactors by 2030. (Yonhap)