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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1651 |
X-PRESS SAGARMALA
IMO 9862736
|
1,800 TEU | 2021 |
13.8
|
D |
| 1652 |
NEVZAT KALKAVAN
IMO 9365867
|
1,849 TEU | 2011 |
13.8
|
D |
| 1653 |
AS NURIA
IMO 9391787
|
3,534 TEU | 2009 |
13.8
|
D |
| 1654 |
MSC ADRIANA II
IMO 9169055
|
1,658 TEU | 1998 |
13.8
|
D |
| 1655 |
MSC ASSUNTA III
IMO 9243590
|
2,672 TEU | 2004 |
13.8
|
D |
| 1656 |
CTM ISTMO
IMO 9430870
|
1,740 TEU | 2010 |
13.9
|
D |
| 1657 |
GRANDE LAGOS
IMO 9672088
|
1,800 TEU | 2014 |
13.9
|
D |
| 1658 |
MSC TAMISHKA F
IMO 9358905
|
1,300 TEU | 2007 |
13.9
|
D |
| 1659 |
ATOUT
IMO 9354648
|
1,698 TEU | 2010 |
13.9
|
D |
| 1660 |
MSC PANAYA
IMO 9217565
|
1,728 TEU | 2000 |
13.9
|
D |
| 1661 |
AURETTE A
IMO 9242285
|
1,170 TEU | 2002 |
14.0
|
D |
| 1662 |
CMA CGM CAYENNE
IMO 9709192
|
2,100 TEU | 2015 |
14.0
|
D |
| 1663 |
GRANDE DAKAR
IMO 9680724
|
1,800 TEU | 2015 |
14.0
|
D |
| 1664 |
CMA CGM SUEZ
IMO 9312652
|
1,740 TEU | 2006 |
14.1
|
D |
| 1665 |
GRANDE COSTA D'AVORIO
IMO 9465382
|
1,318 TEU | 2011 |
14.2
|
D |
| 1666 |
MERIOS
IMO 9264764
|
657 TEU | 2003 |
14.2
|
D |
| 1667 |
PAN GG
IMO 9236286
|
1,155 TEU | 2002 |
14.2
|
D |
| 1668 |
DIANE A
IMO 9385532
|
1,604 TEU | 2008 |
14.3
|
D |
| 1669 |
MAERSK NAMIBIA
IMO 9289180
|
2,100 TEU | 2003 |
14.3
|
D |
| 1670 |
TANGER A
IMO 9330939
|
1,440 TEU | 2007 |
14.3
|
D |
| 1671 |
GRANDE MEDITERRANEO
IMO 9138393
|
716 TEU | 1998 |
14.3
|
D |
| 1672 |
CMA CGM MARSEILLE
IMO 9709207
|
2,100 TEU | 2015 |
14.3
|
D |
| 1673 |
GRANDE ARGENTINA
IMO 9198135
|
1,302 TEU | 2001 |
14.4
|
D |
| 1674 |
MEDKON SAMSUN
IMO 9305934
|
707 TEU | 2004 |
14.4
|
D |
| 1675 |
CMA CGM NACALA
IMO 9550307
|
1,577 TEU | 2009 |
14.4
|
D |
| 1676 |
CIRTA
IMO 9845051
|
1,500 TEU | 2020 |
14.5
|
D |
| 1677 |
BRUARFOSS
IMO 9822841
|
2,150 TEU | 2020 |
14.5
|
D |
| 1678 |
CMA CGM HOMERE
IMO 9362322
|
1,691 TEU | 2007 |
14.5
|
D |
| 1679 |
ESSENCE
IMO 9491496
|
1,349 TEU | 2011 |
14.5
|
E |
| 1680 |
A LA MARINE
IMO 9386524
|
1,440 TEU | 2009 |
14.5
|
E |
| 1681 |
NORDLUCHS
IMO 9673666
|
1,730 TEU | 2014 |
14.5
|
E |
| 1682 |
MERATUS JAYAKARTA
IMO 9305879
|
2,474 TEU | 2005 |
14.6
|
E |
| 1683 |
GRANDE AFRICA
IMO 9130949
|
1,302 TEU | 1998 |
14.6
|
E |
| 1684 |
OYKU A
IMO 9292462
|
1,200 TEU | 2005 |
14.7
|
E |
| 1685 |
EF EMIRA
IMO 9357810
|
1,706 TEU | 2008 |
14.7
|
E |
| 1686 |
AS FRANZISKA
IMO 9295517
|
1,335 TEU | 2005 |
14.7
|
E |
| 1687 |
CMA CGM SAINT LAURENT
IMO 9709219
|
2,100 TEU | 2015 |
14.7
|
E |
| 1688 |
MSC EMILIE
IMO 9334832
|
1,732 TEU | 2006 |
14.7
|
E |
| 1689 |
EMOTION
IMO 9359258
|
1,440 TEU | 2008 |
14.8
|
E |
| 1690 |
CONTSHIP RUN
IMO 9306237
|
1,574 TEU | 2007 |
14.8
|
E |
| 1691 |
FREDERIK
IMO 9328637
|
1,200 TEU | 2005 |
14.8
|
E |
| 1692 |
CAPE FULMAR
IMO 9359313
|
1,440 TEU | 2007 |
14.8
|
E |
| 1693 |
MSC AGNA II
IMO 9509774
|
1,496 TEU | 2009 |
14.9
|
E |
| 1694 |
OKEE ALICIA
IMO 9334818
|
1,740 TEU | 2007 |
14.9
|
E |
| 1695 |
HARRISON
IMO 9220079
|
1,197 TEU | 2002 |
15.0
|
E |
| 1696 |
WYBELSUM
IMO 9386976
|
1,300 TEU | 2008 |
15.0
|
E |
| 1697 |
LASALLE
IMO 9349368
|
2,474 TEU | 2006 |
15.0
|
E |
| 1698 |
MSC NORDEROOG F
IMO 9256315
|
1,300 TEU | 2004 |
15.0
|
E |
| 1699 |
ONUR G.A
IMO 9238076
|
1,208 TEU | 2001 |
15.0
|
E |
| 1700 |
MARINA L
IMO 9431331
|
1,300 TEU | 2009 |
15.1
|
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 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.