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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 801 |
W KAMPALA
IMO 9215311
|
6,802 TEU | 2001 |
7.3
|
B |
| 802 |
MSC HEIDI
IMO 9309473
|
8,400 TEU | 2006 |
7.4
|
B |
| 805 |
MSC SWEDEN VI
IMO 9231262
|
5,762 TEU | 2002 |
7.4
|
B |
| 804 |
KOBE EXPRESS
IMO 9143544
|
4,612 TEU | 1997 |
7.4
|
B |
| 803 |
MSC ELLEN
IMO 9166780
|
7,226 TEU | 1999 |
7.4
|
B |
| 806 |
MSC TAERIM
IMO 9966984
|
1,800 TEU | 2024 |
7.4
|
B |
| 811 |
MAERSK GIRONDE
IMO 9235555
|
4,318 TEU | 2002 |
7.4
|
B |
| 810 |
APL MEXICO CITY
IMO 9632210
|
9,200 TEU | 2011 |
7.4
|
B |
| 809 |
CMA CGM JEAN GABRIEL
IMO 9729128
|
9,400 TEU | 2018 |
7.4
|
B |
| 808 |
ONE HONG KONG
IMO 9395161
|
8,212 TEU | 2009 |
7.4
|
B |
| 807 |
COSCO SHANGHAI
IMO 9221097
|
5,618 TEU | 2001 |
7.4
|
B |
| 812 |
NYK VESTA
IMO 9312808
|
9,012 TEU | 2007 |
7.4
|
B |
| 813 |
SHIJING
IMO 9348663
|
5,100 TEU | 2007 |
7.4
|
B |
| 814 |
SAN DIEGO
IMO 9398412
|
7,500 TEU | 2010 |
7.4
|
B |
| 816 |
MEHUIN
IMO 9400100
|
6,300 TEU | 2011 |
7.4
|
B |
| 815 |
ZIM VIETNAM
IMO 9244922
|
6,246 TEU | 2003 |
7.4
|
B |
| 818 |
CAPE SCOTT
IMO 9950117
|
2,700 TEU | 2023 |
7.4
|
B |
| 817 |
CMA CGM ERMITAGE
IMO 9961295
|
2,000 TEU | 2024 |
7.4
|
B |
| 819 |
MSC BETTINA
IMO 9399038
|
10,000 TEU | 2010 |
7.4
|
B |
| 822 |
NYK DIANA
IMO 9337688
|
4,888 TEU | 2008 |
7.4
|
B |
| 821 |
GENOA EXPRESS
IMO 9626041
|
3,800 TEU | 2014 |
7.4
|
B |
| 823 |
MSC MATILDE V
IMO 9181663
|
4,500 TEU | 1998 |
7.4
|
B |
| 820 |
KARLSKRONA
IMO 9085558
|
6,000 TEU | 1996 |
7.4
|
B |
| 824 |
MSC BRUNELLA
IMO 9702106
|
8,819 TEU | 2015 |
7.4
|
B |
| 826 |
COSCO ANTWERP
IMO 9246396
|
5,618 TEU | 2001 |
7.4
|
B |
| 825 |
MSC GREENWICH
IMO 9286267
|
8,189 TEU | 2004 |
7.4
|
B |
| 827 |
MSC ROMANE
IMO 9745653
|
9,400 TEU | 2017 |
7.5
|
B |
| 828 |
NYK RUMINA
IMO 9416991
|
4,888 TEU | 2010 |
7.5
|
B |
| 830 |
MSC MICHIGAN VII
IMO 9196864
|
6,420 TEU | 2000 |
7.5
|
B |
| 829 |
CMA CGM TAGE
IMO 9674555
|
9,365 TEU | 2015 |
7.5
|
B |
| 832 |
MSC SAMANTHA VI
IMO 9110377
|
5,551 TEU | 1996 |
7.5
|
B |
| 831 |
CMA CGM IMAGINATION
IMO 9948231
|
6,874 TEU | 2024 |
7.5
|
B |
| 833 |
MSC ELA
IMO 9282259
|
4,900 TEU | 2004 |
7.5
|
B |
| 835 |
MSC SINDY
IMO 9336048
|
9,200 TEU | 2007 |
7.5
|
B |
| 834 |
ONE HAMMERSMITH
IMO 9395147
|
8,212 TEU | 2009 |
7.5
|
B |
| 836 |
RDO CONCORD
IMO 9401283
|
6,500 TEU | 2009 |
7.5
|
B |
| 838 |
MSC SANTHYA
IMO 8913411
|
2,668 TEU | 1991 |
7.5
|
B |
| 839 |
MSC BRIANNA
IMO 9103685
|
4,507 TEU | 1996 |
7.5
|
B |
| 837 |
MSC LAGOS X
IMO 9605152
|
9,400 TEU | 2013 |
7.5
|
B |
| 841 |
ZIM AMERICA
IMO 9244934
|
6,246 TEU | 2003 |
7.5
|
C |
| 840 |
CMA CGM RUNDALE
IMO 9961300
|
2,000 TEU | 2024 |
7.5
|
C |
| 844 |
HELLA
IMO 9535137
|
5,605 TEU | 2011 |
7.5
|
C |
| 843 |
MARCOS V
IMO 9307059
|
6,350 TEU | 2005 |
7.5
|
C |
| 842 |
MSC NERISSA V
IMO 9278155
|
5,050 TEU | 2004 |
7.5
|
C |
| 849 |
MSC ORIANE
IMO 9372482
|
5,782 TEU | 2008 |
7.5
|
C |
| 848 |
BREMEN
IMO 9450387
|
8,600 TEU | 2009 |
7.5
|
C |
| 847 |
MSC VIDHI
IMO 9238739
|
5,514 TEU | 2001 |
7.5
|
C |
| 846 |
MSC DENMARK VI
IMO 9231250
|
5,762 TEU | 2002 |
7.5
|
C |
| 845 |
MSC CHANNE
IMO 9710438
|
8,800 TEU | 2015 |
7.5
|
C |
| 850 |
CMA CGM RIGOLETTO
IMO 9299654
|
9,792 TEU | 2006 |
7.5
|
C |
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.