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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 |
CMA CGM NADOR
IMO 9396696
|
1,000 TEU | 2007 |
20.8
|
E |
| 1902 |
HERCULES J
IMO 9430193
|
786 TEU | 2009 |
20.8
|
E |
| 1903 |
TUNADAL
IMO 9429235
|
880 TEU | 2012 |
20.9
|
E |
| 1904 |
MSC AZURIT F
IMO 9403437
|
1,080 TEU | 2008 |
20.9
|
E |
| 1905 |
RUTH
IMO 9376036
|
868 TEU | 2008 |
20.9
|
E |
| 1906 |
BALTIC SHEARWATER
IMO 9313228
|
1,600 TEU | 2005 |
21.0
|
E |
| 1907 |
WILHELM
IMO 9376050
|
868 TEU | 2008 |
21.0
|
E |
| 1908 |
DAGMAR
IMO 9354399
|
868 TEU | 2006 |
21.0
|
E |
| 1909 |
WEC CORNEILLE
IMO 9326940
|
862 TEU | 2005 |
21.0
|
E |
| 1910 |
X-PRESS SOUSSE
IMO 9354349
|
868 TEU | 2006 |
21.0
|
E |
| 1911 |
NEUENFELDE
IMO 9231846
|
868 TEU | 2001 |
21.1
|
E |
| 1912 |
JSP ROVER
IMO 9323467
|
804 TEU | 2006 |
21.1
|
E |
| 1913 |
EVI
IMO 9396634
|
1,338 TEU | 2008 |
21.1
|
E |
| 1914 |
MEDKON NLS
IMO 9390812
|
657 TEU | 2006 |
21.1
|
E |
| 1915 |
CONESTE
IMO 9252802
|
862 TEU | 2003 |
21.1
|
E |
| 1916 |
ELBTEAM
IMO 9429273
|
880 TEU | 2012 |
21.1
|
E |
| 1917 |
BIANCA RAMBOW
IMO 9297591
|
862 TEU | 2004 |
21.1
|
E |
| 1918 |
VEGA ALPHA
IMO 9301081
|
900 TEU | 2005 |
21.1
|
E |
| 1919 |
ATLANTIC GENEVA
IMO 9330848
|
1,100 TEU | 2007 |
21.2
|
E |
| 1920 |
BG EMERALD
IMO 9803704
|
955 TEU | 2018 |
21.2
|
E |
| 1921 |
ASTURIANO III
IMO 9406829
|
1,118 TEU | 2007 |
21.3
|
E |
| 1922 |
SARA BORCHARD
IMO 9354428
|
868 TEU | 2007 |
21.3
|
E |
| 1923 |
MASTERY D
IMO 9301201
|
900 TEU | 2006 |
21.3
|
E |
| 1924 |
PEYTON LYNN C
IMO 9295531
|
855 TEU | 2007 |
21.3
|
E |
| 1925 |
CARLOTA B
IMO 9404065
|
803 TEU | 2007 |
21.3
|
E |
| 1926 |
CONTSHIP VOW
IMO 9395599
|
1,100 TEU | 2007 |
21.4
|
E |
| 1927 |
QUEEN NM
IMO 9234991
|
868 TEU | 2001 |
21.4
|
E |
| 1928 |
PAVO J
IMO 9355458
|
850 TEU | 2007 |
21.4
|
E |
| 1929 |
IPIOS
IMO 9359117
|
1,100 TEU | 2006 |
21.5
|
E |
| 1930 |
JSP CARLA
IMO 9319868
|
750 TEU | 2004 |
21.5
|
E |
| 1931 |
WEC VAN RIJN
IMO 9315006
|
868 TEU | 2005 |
21.5
|
E |
| 1932 |
FALMOUTH
IMO 9266530
|
862 TEU | 2002 |
21.6
|
E |
| 1933 |
ELBFEEDER
IMO 9388522
|
974 TEU | 2008 |
21.6
|
E |
| 1934 |
BG DIAMOND
IMO 9803675
|
955 TEU | 2017 |
21.6
|
E |
| 1935 |
MONTE DA GUIA
IMO 9123788
|
621 TEU | 1995 |
21.6
|
E |
| 1936 |
ELBWINTER
IMO 9398773
|
1,036 TEU | 2008 |
21.6
|
E |
| 1937 |
ELBRUNNER
IMO 9395563
|
974 TEU | 2009 |
21.7
|
E |
| 1938 |
JPO GEMINI
IMO 9294020
|
2,474 TEU | 2005 |
21.8
|
E |
| 1939 |
MIRIAM BORCHARD
IMO 9246554
|
868 TEU | 2004 |
21.8
|
E |
| 1940 |
VIVIENNE SHERI D
IMO 9371426
|
925 TEU | 2009 |
21.8
|
E |
| 1941 |
AMELIE BORCHARD
IMO 9242560
|
868 TEU | 2002 |
21.9
|
E |
| 1942 |
WEC MONDRIAAN
IMO 9354363
|
868 TEU | 2006 |
21.9
|
E |
| 1943 |
AVILA
IMO 9295529
|
855 TEU | 2007 |
21.9
|
E |
| 1944 |
VERA A
IMO 9372585
|
1,022 TEU | 2011 |
21.9
|
E |
| 1945 |
SPICA J
IMO 9355460
|
850 TEU | 2007 |
22.0
|
E |
| 1946 |
MSC SAGITTARIUS F
IMO 9491616
|
916 TEU | 2012 |
22.0
|
E |
| 1947 |
MED IZMIR
IMO 9143879
|
951 TEU | 1998 |
22.0
|
E |
| 1948 |
SC POTOMAC
IMO 9236274
|
1,155 TEU | 2002 |
22.1
|
E |
| 1949 |
AILA
IMO 9354337
|
908 TEU | 2007 |
22.1
|
E |
| 1950 |
KANTATA
IMO 9327580
|
1,118 TEU | 2006 |
22.1
|
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.