Most Emission-Efficient Container Ships
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 2024. Lower is greener. Pick a segment and size class to see the greenest vessels first.
| # | Vessel | Size (TEU) | Built | Carbon intensity — AER (g CO₂/dwt·nm) | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 551 |
MSC PARIS
IMO 9301483
|
8,204 TEU | 2006 |
6.4
|
B |
| 553 |
MSC CHLOE
IMO 9720483
|
9,400 TEU | 2016 |
6.4
|
B |
| 552 |
MSC YASHI B
IMO 9778090
|
11,000 TEU | 2018 |
6.4
|
B |
| 555 |
CMA CGM CENDRILLON
IMO 9449819
|
8,500 TEU | 2009 |
6.4
|
B |
| 554 |
VALPARAISO EXPRESS
IMO 9777589
|
10,818 TEU | 2016 |
6.4
|
B |
| 556 |
MAERSK CAPE COAST
IMO 9525314
|
4,500 TEU | 2011 |
6.4
|
B |
| 557 |
CARTAGENA EXPRESS
IMO 9777618
|
10,818 TEU | 2017 |
6.4
|
B |
| 560 |
CMA CGM DALILA
IMO 9450624
|
8,500 TEU | 2011 |
6.4
|
B |
| 559 |
CAP SAN VINCENT
IMO 9717228
|
10,600 TEU | 2015 |
6.4
|
B |
| 558 |
NYK ORION
IMO 9312999
|
9,040 TEU | 2008 |
6.4
|
B |
| 562 |
CMA CGM TITAN
IMO 9399222
|
11,400 TEU | 2011 |
6.5
|
B |
| 561 |
VIENNA EXPRESS
IMO 9450416
|
8,600 TEU | 2010 |
6.5
|
B |
| 563 |
ARGUS
IMO 9262716
|
6,492 TEU | 2004 |
6.5
|
B |
| 564 |
APL BOSTON
IMO 9597496
|
9,200 TEU | 2013 |
6.5
|
B |
| 565 |
MSC RAYSHMI
IMO 9785457
|
12,200 TEU | 2021 |
6.5
|
B |
| 566 |
ANTHEA Y
IMO 9710244
|
9,000 TEU | 2015 |
6.5
|
B |
| 569 |
EDITH MAERSK
IMO 9321548
|
11,000 TEU | 2004 |
6.5
|
B |
| 568 |
SAN FERNANDO
IMO 9698642
|
8,714 TEU | 2015 |
6.5
|
B |
| 567 |
MSC EVEREST VIII
IMO 9286231
|
7,747 TEU | 2004 |
6.5
|
B |
| 570 |
CMA CGM SINTRA
IMO 9961362
|
2,000 TEU | 2024 |
6.5
|
B |
| 572 |
GUNVOR MAERSK
IMO 9302891
|
6,600 TEU | 2005 |
6.5
|
B |
| 571 |
CSCL VENUS
IMO 9467251
|
13,300 TEU | 2011 |
6.5
|
B |
| 574 |
MSC DOMITILLE
IMO 9720201
|
9,400 TEU | 2015 |
6.5
|
B |
| 576 |
CMA CGM TANYA
IMO 9722704
|
9,894 TEU | 2016 |
6.5
|
B |
| 573 |
CHICAGO EXPRESS
IMO 9295268
|
8,235 TEU | 2006 |
6.5
|
B |
| 575 |
MSC VITTORIA
IMO 9299551
|
8,034 TEU | 2006 |
6.5
|
B |
| 577 |
COSCO JAPAN
IMO 9448748
|
8,500 TEU | 2010 |
6.5
|
B |
| 578 |
MSC VILDA X
IMO 9146479
|
7,226 TEU | 1998 |
6.5
|
B |
| 579 |
CMA CGM RHONE
IMO 9674543
|
9,365 TEU | 2015 |
6.5
|
B |
| 580 |
ONE HANOI
IMO 9588093
|
8,974 TEU | 2013 |
6.5
|
B |
| 582 |
ZIM CONDOR
IMO 9960552
|
5,300 TEU | 2024 |
6.5
|
B |
| 581 |
SANTA INES
IMO 9444845
|
7,114 TEU | 2012 |
6.5
|
B |
| 584 |
TUBUL
IMO 9447873
|
8,000 TEU | 2011 |
6.5
|
B |
| 583 |
PANDA 006
IMO 9677026
|
6,900 TEU | 2013 |
6.5
|
B |
| 588 |
DALIAN EXPRESS
IMO 9229829
|
7,506 TEU | 2001 |
6.5
|
B |
| 587 |
MSC CANDICE
IMO 9339284
|
9,200 TEU | 2007 |
6.5
|
B |
| 586 |
MSC ESTHI
IMO 9304411
|
9,200 TEU | 2006 |
6.5
|
B |
| 585 |
PRAGUE EXPRESS
IMO 9450399
|
8,600 TEU | 2010 |
6.5
|
B |
| 589 |
TORRENTE
IMO 9447914
|
8,000 TEU | 2011 |
6.6
|
B |
| 591 |
MSC ELAINE
IMO 9393321
|
8,562 TEU | 2009 |
6.6
|
B |
| 590 |
MSC SHREYA B
IMO 9778105
|
11,000 TEU | 2017 |
6.6
|
B |
| 592 |
MAERSK STADELHORN
IMO 9726671
|
9,962 TEU | 2015 |
6.6
|
B |
| 593 |
MSC ALEXA
IMO 9129873
|
3,500 TEU | 1996 |
6.6
|
B |
| 596 |
MAERSK TUKANG
IMO 9334686
|
8,100 TEU | 2008 |
6.6
|
B |
| 595 |
YANTIAN EXPRESS
IMO 9229831
|
7,179 TEU | 2002 |
6.6
|
B |
| 594 |
EUGEN MAERSK
IMO 9321550
|
11,000 TEU | 2004 |
6.6
|
B |
| 598 |
MSC MAEVA
IMO 9289128
|
8,034 TEU | 2005 |
6.6
|
B |
| 597 |
ELLY MAERSK
IMO 9321536
|
11,000 TEU | 2007 |
6.6
|
B |
| 600 |
MSC NOA
IMO 9398228
|
6,500 TEU | 2009 |
6.6
|
B |
| 599 |
MAERSK FELIXSTOWE
IMO 9969041
|
5,920 TEU | 2023 |
6.6
|
B |
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 2024 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.