Most Emission-Efficient General Cargos
Ships ranked by AER (Annual Efficiency Ratio) — grams of CO₂ emitted per tonne of deadweight carried one nautical mile (g CO₂/dwt·nm), the IMO carbon-intensity metric behind the CII rating — from official EU MRV emissions data for reporting year 2025. Lower is greener. Pick a segment and size class to see the greenest vessels first.
| # | Vessel | Size (DWT) | Built | Carbon intensity — AER (g CO₂/dwt·nm) | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2201 |
BONA SAFIR
IMO 9030228
|
2,188 | 1992 |
22.2
|
E |
| 2202 |
HAV STREYM
IMO 9126625
|
3,405 | 1996 |
22.2
|
E |
| 2203 |
DOLPHIN E
IMO 9013012
|
1,686 | 1991 |
22.2
|
E |
| 2204 |
WILSON DUISBURG
IMO 9557410
|
2,660 | 2018 |
22.2
|
E |
| 2205 |
ALTIUS
IMO 8511938
|
1,685 | 1985 |
22.2
|
E |
| 2206 |
DALSLAND
IMO 9226774
|
5,075 | 2001 |
22.3
|
E |
| 2207 |
BALTIC CARRIER
IMO 9138197
|
3,110 | 1997 |
22.3
|
E |
| 2208 |
ELLI F
IMO 8607725
|
4,107 | 1986 |
22.3
|
E |
| 2209 |
LOTUS
IMO 9193525
|
9,389 | 1999 |
22.3
|
E |
| 2210 |
ODIN
IMO 9101144
|
4,365 | 1994 |
22.4
|
E |
| 2211 |
FREJ
IMO 9101156
|
4,470 | 1994 |
22.4
|
E |
| 2212 |
WILSON FEDJE
IMO 9491757
|
4,722 | 2012 |
22.4
|
E |
| 2213 |
TAXIARCHIS M
IMO 7711907
|
3,267 | 1979 |
22.5
|
E |
| 2214 |
RIX TANGO
IMO 9156113
|
4,434 | 2002 |
22.5
|
E |
| 2215 |
PAULIN-B
IMO 9120102
|
2,335 | 1995 |
22.5
|
E |
| 2216 |
ANGELA
IMO 9071076
|
4,766 | 1995 |
22.5
|
E |
| 2217 |
BREMEN
IMO 9617301
|
3,812 | 2012 |
22.5
|
E |
| 2218 |
HARUN KONAN
IMO 9385427
|
3,603 | 2007 |
22.6
|
E |
| 2219 |
SAM H
IMO 7810210
|
5,995 | 1980 |
22.6
|
E |
| 2220 |
WILSON ALSTER
IMO 9222429
|
2,500 | 2005 |
22.6
|
E |
| 2221 |
PERNILLE
IMO 9434163
|
3,450 | 2009 |
22.6
|
E |
| 2222 |
IMKE
IMO 9501899
|
9,963 | 2010 |
22.7
|
E |
| 2223 |
COE KAETHE
IMO 7924401
|
1,795 | 1980 |
22.8
|
E |
| 2224 |
WILSON RHINE
IMO 9168116
|
1,816 | 1998 |
22.8
|
E |
| 2225 |
ANTONIA B
IMO 8919221
|
1,946 | 1991 |
22.8
|
E |
| 2226 |
SCOT PIONEER
IMO 9331347
|
3,638 | 2006 |
22.8
|
E |
| 2227 |
TORNEDALEN
IMO 9190808
|
5,572 | 2000 |
22.9
|
E |
| 2228 |
WILSON SKY
IMO 9017393
|
4,263 | 2001 |
22.9
|
E |
| 2229 |
MERIC
IMO 9118006
|
2,800 | 1995 |
22.9
|
E |
| 2230 |
FERROMAR
IMO 9313785
|
4,537 | 2004 |
22.9
|
E |
| 2231 |
BBC AFRICA
IMO 9362621
|
7,531 | 2005 |
22.9
|
E |
| 2232 |
RIX SPRING
IMO 9137296
|
2,489 | 1996 |
22.9
|
E |
| 2233 |
EMS CAPE
IMO 9556820
|
2,600 | 2012 |
22.9
|
E |
| 2234 |
CENTURY MAS
IMO 9253260
|
8,077 | 2001 |
22.9
|
E |
| 2235 |
WILSON DROGHEDA
IMO 9390123
|
3,690 | 2008 |
23.0
|
E |
| 2236 |
JUNE
IMO 9155688
|
2,270 | 1997 |
23.0
|
E |
| 2237 |
OPTIMAR
IMO 9199402
|
4,276 | 2000 |
23.1
|
E |
| 2238 |
WILSON LAHN
IMO 9198458
|
2,500 | 2001 |
23.1
|
E |
| 2239 |
DOUWENT
IMO 8703139
|
1,996 | 1987 |
23.1
|
E |
| 2240 |
ANNABELLA
IMO 8919788
|
11,117 | 1991 |
23.1
|
E |
| 2241 |
LADY NURGUL
IMO 9361263
|
4,250 | 2006 |
23.1
|
E |
| 2242 |
TIM
IMO 9434151
|
3,450 | 2008 |
23.1
|
E |
| 2243 |
VARMLAND
IMO 9191943
|
5,557 | 2007 |
23.1
|
E |
| 2244 |
FRISIAN RIVER
IMO 9421623
|
2,620 | 2007 |
23.2
|
E |
| 2245 |
GULF WEST
IMO 9125085
|
4,433 | 1997 |
23.2
|
E |
| 2246 |
GORDION
IMO 9043380
|
5,356 | 1992 |
23.3
|
E |
| 2247 |
EIDSVAAG OMEGA
IMO 9763784
|
3,264 | 2017 |
23.3
|
E |
| 2248 |
MARIA S
IMO 9198654
|
4,247 | 2002 |
23.3
|
E |
| 2249 |
RIX EXPLORER
IMO 9167356
|
4,218 | 1998 |
23.3
|
E |
| 2250 |
LARISSA B
IMO 9466219
|
3,500 | 2010 |
23.3
|
E |
Which engines power the greenest fleets?
The main engine is the single largest CO₂ source on board — typically well over 80% of a ship's emissions come from propulsion. We aggregated this ranking the other way around: every engine design is scored by the measured carbon intensity of the vessels carrying it, licensee-built units merged under their design brand. The verdict from the 2025 data — modern dual-fuel designs like MAN B&W's ME-GI and WinGD's X-DF families, together with EGR/SCR-abated and ultra-long-stroke G-type engines, consistently power the most emission-friendly ships in service.
AER (Annual Efficiency Ratio) = annual CO₂ emissions ÷ (deadweight × distance sailed), the IMO carbon-intensity metric used for CII ratings. It is built only from measured CO₂, distance and deadweight — not the self-reported cargo transport-work figure, which is unreliable. Implausible outliers (top 2% per segment) are excluded. Grade A–E reflects each vessel's rank within its segment. Source: EMSA THETIS-MRV.