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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1051 |
LARS MAERSK
IMO 9294379
|
4,300 TEU | 2004 |
7.9
|
C |
| 1052 |
COSCO SHANGHAI
IMO 9221097
|
5,618 TEU | 2001 |
7.9
|
C |
| 1053 |
CMA CGM HARMONY
IMO 9952828
|
7,000 TEU | 2021 |
7.9
|
C |
| 1054 |
LONDON EXPRESS
IMO 9143568
|
4,612 TEU | 1998 |
8.0
|
C |
| 1056 |
MAERSK LEON
IMO 9526966
|
8,700 TEU | 2012 |
8.0
|
C |
| 1055 |
MSC FABIENNE
IMO 9279965
|
4,862 TEU | 2004 |
8.0
|
C |
| 1058 |
MSC JERSEY
IMO 9622007
|
4,800 TEU | 2014 |
8.0
|
C |
| 1057 |
HMM PLATINUM
IMO 9637155
|
5,000 TEU | 2013 |
8.0
|
C |
| 1059 |
MSC LILY
IMO 9704960
|
8,800 TEU | 2015 |
8.0
|
C |
| 1060 |
ROTTERDAM
IMO 9398450
|
9,262 TEU | 2010 |
8.0
|
C |
| 1061 |
W KYRENIA
IMO 9211494
|
6,802 TEU | 2001 |
8.0
|
C |
| 1062 |
CMA CGM NABUCCO
IMO 9299630
|
8,200 TEU | 2006 |
8.0
|
C |
| 1063 |
CONTI CHIVALRY
IMO 9293791
|
8,084 TEU | 2006 |
8.0
|
C |
| 1066 |
SANTA CLARA MAERSK
IMO 9444716
|
7,090 TEU | 2010 |
8.0
|
C |
| 1065 |
WIKING
IMO 9708382
|
4,771 TEU | 2016 |
8.0
|
C |
| 1064 |
CMA CGM CHIWAN
IMO 9224312
|
4,253 TEU | 2001 |
8.0
|
C |
| 1067 |
MSC ROSHNEY V
IMO 9337676
|
4,888 TEU | 2007 |
8.0
|
C |
| 1068 |
KOTA KAYA
IMO 9307401
|
3,081 TEU | 2005 |
8.0
|
C |
| 1069 |
EVER EXCEL
IMO 9241322
|
6,323 TEU | 2002 |
8.1
|
C |
| 1070 |
KOTKA
IMO 9085534
|
6,418 TEU | 1996 |
8.1
|
C |
| 1072 |
MONTE TAMARO
IMO 9357949
|
4,000 TEU | 2007 |
8.1
|
C |
| 1071 |
MAERSK IDAHO
IMO 9193264
|
4,338 TEU | 2000 |
8.1
|
C |
| 1074 |
HMM COLOMBO
IMO 9323508
|
6,763 TEU | 2007 |
8.1
|
C |
| 1073 |
ACHELOOS
IMO 9972995
|
2,800 TEU | 2024 |
8.1
|
C |
| 1075 |
MSC VIDHI
IMO 9238739
|
5,514 TEU | 2001 |
8.1
|
C |
| 1076 |
SANTA INES
IMO 9444845
|
7,114 TEU | 2012 |
8.1
|
C |
| 1077 |
NYK ROMULUS
IMO 9416989
|
4,888 TEU | 2010 |
8.1
|
C |
| 1079 |
MSC ELBE III
IMO 9236688
|
2,524 TEU | 2001 |
8.1
|
C |
| 1078 |
MSC ELA
IMO 9282259
|
4,900 TEU | 2004 |
8.1
|
C |
| 1082 |
MAERSK UTAH
IMO 9305300
|
4,154 TEU | 2006 |
8.1
|
C |
| 1081 |
API BHUM
IMO 9292149
|
4,944 TEU | 2004 |
8.1
|
C |
| 1080 |
MSC BRUNELLA
IMO 9702106
|
8,819 TEU | 2015 |
8.1
|
C |
| 1083 |
MSC TIANJIN
IMO 9285471
|
8,063 TEU | 2005 |
8.1
|
C |
| 1084 |
MSC JOHANNESBURG V
IMO 9252242
|
4,200 TEU | 2003 |
8.1
|
C |
| 1086 |
MSC SAMANTHA VI
IMO 9110377
|
5,551 TEU | 1996 |
8.1
|
C |
| 1085 |
NINGBO
IMO 9398400
|
7,500 TEU | 2009 |
8.1
|
C |
| 1087 |
MSC ATLANTIC III
IMO 8913447
|
2,668 TEU | 1991 |
8.1
|
C |
| 1089 |
GREEN BAY
IMO 9983437
|
2,954 TEU | 2022 |
8.1
|
C |
| 1088 |
HMM OAKLAND
IMO 9385013
|
6,350 TEU | 2009 |
8.1
|
C |
| 1090 |
JOLLY ARGENTO
IMO 9467043
|
4,600 TEU | 2010 |
8.2
|
C |
| 1091 |
MSC LAGOS X
IMO 9605152
|
9,400 TEU | 2013 |
8.2
|
C |
| 1092 |
MSC SUEZ
IMO 8918978
|
2,668 TEU | 1993 |
8.2
|
C |
| 1095 |
HMM TACOMA
IMO 9385001
|
6,350 TEU | 2009 |
8.2
|
C |
| 1094 |
FORT DESAIX
IMO 9400174
|
4,043 TEU | 2010 |
8.2
|
C |
| 1093 |
MSC PRELUDE V
IMO 9450325
|
4,600 TEU | 2009 |
8.2
|
C |
| 1098 |
YM CREDIBILITY
IMO 9864564
|
2,800 TEU | 2021 |
8.2
|
C |
| 1097 |
SEASPAN OCEANIA
IMO 9286009
|
8,468 TEU | 2004 |
8.2
|
C |
| 1096 |
MOL PROFICIENCY
IMO 9403619
|
6,350 TEU | 2007 |
8.2
|
C |
| 1100 |
MSC LISA
IMO 9281279
|
5,059 TEU | 2004 |
8.2
|
C |
| 1099 |
MSC MICHIGAN VII
IMO 9196864
|
6,420 TEU | 2000 |
8.2
|
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 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.