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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 |
BREB TIMBER
IMO 9319430
|
3,817 | 2005 |
18.8
|
E |
| 1952 |
RAHMI YAGCI
IMO 9550852
|
7,141 | 2022 |
18.8
|
E |
| 1953 |
NORVAAG
IMO 9135743
|
4,211 | 1997 |
18.8
|
E |
| 1954 |
ALAND
IMO 9350783
|
7,056 | 2007 |
18.8
|
E |
| 1955 |
LAKER 2
IMO 9447782
|
6,933 | 2007 |
18.8
|
E |
| 1956 |
MARAS
IMO 9195834
|
4,950 | 2000 |
18.8
|
E |
| 1957 |
HAGLAND CARRIER
IMO 9479931
|
4,400 | 2011 |
18.8
|
E |
| 1958 |
LAFJELL
IMO 9213997
|
3,780 | 2001 |
18.9
|
E |
| 1959 |
MANISA GRETA
IMO 9391024
|
8,054 | 2007 |
18.9
|
E |
| 1960 |
KERTU
IMO 9344368
|
5,208 | 2005 |
18.9
|
E |
| 1961 |
WILSON GDANSK
IMO 9056026
|
3,687 | 1993 |
18.9
|
E |
| 1962 |
FWN PERFORMER
IMO 9770701
|
10,620 | 2017 |
18.9
|
E |
| 1963 |
ANKA SKY
IMO 9145126
|
3,526 | 1997 |
18.9
|
E |
| 1964 |
NOUR 1
IMO 8914295
|
4,245 | 1991 |
18.9
|
E |
| 1965 |
WILSON DAGENHAM
IMO 9409613
|
3,788 | 2009 |
18.9
|
E |
| 1966 |
BREB COUNTESS
IMO 9421166
|
7,812 | 2009 |
18.9
|
E |
| 1967 |
GRINNA
IMO 9318955
|
7,136 | 2004 |
18.9
|
E |
| 1968 |
LIVLAND
IMO 9237034
|
5,464 | 2001 |
18.9
|
E |
| 1969 |
ESPRIT
IMO 9479943
|
4,923 | 2011 |
18.9
|
E |
| 1970 |
LOTTA
IMO 9629809
|
3,850 | 2013 |
18.9
|
E |
| 1971 |
EKNOE
IMO 9353395
|
4,300 | 2006 |
18.9
|
E |
| 1972 |
SPANACO SIMPLICITY
IMO 9472036
|
4,188 | 2009 |
18.9
|
E |
| 1973 |
ALSTERDIEP
IMO 9472000
|
4,165 | 2008 |
19.0
|
E |
| 1974 |
ANMIRO
IMO 9434577
|
3,695 | 2009 |
19.0
|
E |
| 1975 |
ISLAND STAR
IMO 7382500
|
6,085 | 1976 |
19.0
|
E |
| 1976 |
AMADEUS DIAMOND
IMO 9201968
|
2,922 | 2001 |
19.0
|
E |
| 1977 |
WILSON BAERL
IMO 9194311
|
2,895 | 1999 |
19.0
|
E |
| 1978 |
IBRAHIM KARABEKIR
IMO 9275854
|
6,379 | 2004 |
19.1
|
E |
| 1979 |
NELLI
IMO 9360477
|
4,907 | 2009 |
19.1
|
E |
| 1980 |
TRIPLE S
IMO 9662382
|
5,262 | 2013 |
19.1
|
E |
| 1981 |
LEMLAND
IMO 9415040
|
8,850 | 2009 |
19.1
|
E |
| 1982 |
SEELAND
IMO 9301603
|
7,064 | 2006 |
19.1
|
E |
| 1983 |
FWN PROVIDER
IMO 9770713
|
10,589 | 2017 |
19.1
|
E |
| 1984 |
ROYAL I
IMO 9347633
|
11,169 | 2007 |
19.1
|
E |
| 1985 |
LOIRE RIVER
IMO 9368584
|
6,354 | 2007 |
19.1
|
E |
| 1986 |
RIX SPIRIT
IMO 9136204
|
4,084 | 1996 |
19.2
|
E |
| 1987 |
AMADEUS SILVER
IMO 9374909
|
2,567 | 2011 |
19.2
|
E |
| 1988 |
FOKKO UKENA
IMO 9375812
|
3,627 | 2007 |
19.2
|
E |
| 1989 |
FRISIAN INO
IMO 9463877
|
2,570 | 2012 |
19.2
|
E |
| 1990 |
SARAH-B
IMO 9119622
|
2,300 | 1995 |
19.2
|
E |
| 1991 |
HAGLAND BOSS
IMO 9171058
|
3,694 | 1997 |
19.2
|
E |
| 1992 |
RIX LAKE
IMO 9109043
|
3,400 | 1995 |
19.2
|
E |
| 1993 |
BBC OPAL
IMO 9506758
|
14,360 | 2011 |
19.2
|
E |
| 1994 |
HAPPY STAR
IMO 9661259
|
18,062 | 2014 |
19.2
|
E |
| 1995 |
WILSON ELBE
IMO 9060675
|
2,665 | 1993 |
19.2
|
E |
| 1996 |
FLUVIUS TAVY
IMO 9501710
|
4,200 | 2009 |
19.2
|
E |
| 1997 |
ELENORA
IMO 9184421
|
4,023 | 2000 |
19.2
|
E |
| 1998 |
AMISIA
IMO 9361378
|
6,059 | 2008 |
19.2
|
E |
| 1999 |
LELIE C
IMO 9166443
|
3,454 | 2000 |
19.2
|
E |
| 2000 |
THEBE
IMO 9199696
|
2,500 | 2000 |
19.2
|
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.