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 2025. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1751 |
CMA CGM RED
IMO 9690107
|
2,259 TEU | 2016 |
13.5
|
D |
| 1752 |
KOTA NAZIM
IMO 9390240
|
1,810 TEU | 2008 |
13.6
|
D |
| 1753 |
EMPIRE
IMO 9387425
|
1,400 TEU | 2009 |
13.6
|
D |
| 1754 |
GRANDE COTONOU
IMO 9672105
|
1,800 TEU | 2015 |
13.6
|
D |
| 1755 |
CAPITAINE TUPAIA
IMO 9410301
|
1,713 TEU | 2010 |
13.6
|
D |
| 1756 |
CHARM C
IMO 9383259
|
2,500 TEU | 2009 |
13.6
|
D |
| 1757 |
SOUTH
IMO 9491472
|
1,349 TEU | 2011 |
13.6
|
D |
| 1758 |
SEASPAN CALICANTO
IMO 9435038
|
2,546 TEU | 2010 |
13.6
|
D |
| 1759 |
X-PRESS KAVERI
IMO 9470765
|
1,577 TEU | 2008 |
13.6
|
D |
| 1760 |
FLEUR N
IMO 9509138
|
2,758 TEU | 2012 |
13.6
|
D |
| 1761 |
BG BLUE
IMO 9964625
|
1,400 TEU | 2024 |
13.6
|
D |
| 1762 |
PANDA 004
IMO 9968906
|
1,400 TEU | 2024 |
13.6
|
D |
| 1763 |
CAPT. KATTELMANN
IMO 9330915
|
1,440 TEU | 2006 |
13.6
|
D |
| 1764 |
MSC RICHIKA F
IMO 9386988
|
1,300 TEU | 2008 |
13.7
|
D |
| 1765 |
MSC IRA II
IMO 9323493
|
1,732 TEU | 2007 |
13.7
|
D |
| 1766 |
ZEBRA
IMO 9231157
|
2,602 TEU | 2001 |
13.7
|
D |
| 1767 |
BRUARFOSS
IMO 9822841
|
2,150 TEU | 2020 |
13.7
|
D |
| 1768 |
ECO UMANDE
IMO 9959541
|
1,170 TEU | 2024 |
13.7
|
D |
| 1769 |
KAAN KALKAVAN
IMO 9365879
|
1,849 TEU | 2012 |
13.8
|
D |
| 1770 |
ANNABA
IMO 9306201
|
1,574 TEU | 2006 |
13.8
|
D |
| 1771 |
MSC NORDEROOG F
IMO 9256315
|
1,300 TEU | 2004 |
13.8
|
D |
| 1772 |
MSC AKITETA II
IMO 9220847
|
2,226 TEU | 2001 |
13.8
|
D |
| 1773 |
JOANNA BORCHARD
IMO 1016563
|
17,495 | 2025 |
13.8
|
D |
| 1774 |
LASALLE
IMO 9349368
|
2,474 TEU | 2006 |
13.8
|
D |
| 1775 |
NEWYORKER
IMO 9209104
|
2,506 TEU | 2001 |
13.8
|
D |
| 1776 |
KAWA BUDAPEST
IMO 9379571
|
1,060 TEU | 2006 |
13.8
|
D |
| 1777 |
MSC LEANDRA V
IMO 9313943
|
4,196 TEU | 2007 |
13.9
|
E |
| 1778 |
NORTH
IMO 9491501
|
1,349 TEU | 2011 |
13.9
|
E |
| 1779 |
MERATUS JAYAKARTA
IMO 9305879
|
2,474 TEU | 2005 |
13.9
|
E |
| 1780 |
SC MEDFORD
IMO 9275103
|
1,200 TEU | 2004 |
13.9
|
E |
| 1781 |
SLS AZURE
IMO 9155377
|
1,718 TEU | 2000 |
13.9
|
E |
| 1782 |
MSC TAMISHKA F
IMO 9358905
|
1,300 TEU | 2007 |
13.9
|
E |
| 1783 |
MSC AUBE F
IMO 9360283
|
1,060 TEU | 2005 |
13.9
|
E |
| 1784 |
TUKUMA ARCTICA
IMO 9822865
|
2,150 TEU | 2020 |
13.9
|
E |
| 1785 |
NORDIC ISTRIA
IMO 9474383
|
1,085 TEU | 2011 |
13.9
|
E |
| 1786 |
MSC BAHRAIN II
IMO 9359301
|
1,440 TEU | 2006 |
13.9
|
E |
| 1787 |
MARSA PRIDE
IMO 9301445
|
2,556 TEU | 2005 |
14.0
|
E |
| 1788 |
MARLA BULL
IMO 9932945
|
1,900 TEU | 2022 |
14.0
|
E |
| 1789 |
AS SABRINA
IMO 9387463
|
1,700 TEU | 2006 |
14.0
|
E |
| 1790 |
MSC AMY
IMO 9242651
|
1,768 TEU | 2002 |
14.0
|
E |
| 1791 |
MSC SUEDEROOG F
IMO 9256327
|
1,300 TEU | 2005 |
14.0
|
E |
| 1792 |
JEAN PIERRE A
IMO 9379351
|
1,604 TEU | 2007 |
14.0
|
E |
| 1793 |
ELBINSEL
IMO 9977426
|
20,150 | 2024 |
14.0
|
E |
| 1794 |
EF EMMA
IMO 9357808
|
1,706 TEU | 2008 |
14.1
|
E |
| 1795 |
MARTI SPIRIT
IMO 9477347
|
1,350 TEU | 2010 |
14.1
|
E |
| 1796 |
FREDERIK
IMO 9328637
|
1,200 TEU | 2005 |
14.1
|
E |
| 1797 |
CIELO DI RABAT
IMO 9141792
|
2,061 TEU | 1997 |
14.1
|
E |
| 1798 |
VENTO DI MELTEMI
IMO 9242297
|
1,170 TEU | 2002 |
14.1
|
E |
| 1799 |
NEVZAT KALKAVAN
IMO 9365867
|
1,849 TEU | 2011 |
14.1
|
E |
| 1800 |
ELBELLA
IMO 9312640
|
1,740 TEU | 2006 |
14.2
|
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.