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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2051 |
MSC VULCANO II
IMO 9313228
|
1,600 TEU | 2005 |
20.7
|
E |
| 2052 |
LOLA B
IMO 9353723
|
917 TEU | 2007 |
20.7
|
E |
| 2053 |
NIEVES B
IMO 9483683
|
1,036 TEU | 2011 |
20.7
|
E |
| 2054 |
PIRITA
IMO 9108063
|
660 TEU | 1995 |
20.8
|
E |
| 2055 |
ODYSSEY
IMO 9252773
|
862 TEU | 2002 |
20.8
|
E |
| 2056 |
DIONYSSIS A
IMO 9356660
|
1,024 TEU | 2006 |
20.8
|
E |
| 2057 |
ANDROMEDA J
IMO 9355422
|
850 TEU | 2006 |
20.9
|
E |
| 2058 |
MSC OLGA F
IMO 9336359
|
1,080 TEU | 2006 |
20.9
|
E |
| 2059 |
JASPER WIND
IMO 9368041
|
905 TEU | 2010 |
20.9
|
E |
| 2060 |
MED IZMIR
IMO 9143879
|
951 TEU | 1998 |
20.9
|
E |
| 2061 |
GFS LETO
IMO 9346562
|
1,100 TEU | 2006 |
20.9
|
E |
| 2062 |
MSC ASLI
IMO 9162631
|
1,733 TEU | 2000 |
20.9
|
E |
| 2063 |
TROUPER
IMO 9326952
|
862 TEU | 2005 |
21.0
|
E |
| 2064 |
CONESTE
IMO 9252802
|
862 TEU | 2003 |
21.1
|
E |
| 2065 |
ADELINA
IMO 9306079
|
1,578 TEU | 2006 |
21.1
|
E |
| 2066 |
CONTAINERSHIPS VI
IMO 9188518
|
959 TEU | 1999 |
21.1
|
E |
| 2067 |
CONTSHIP VOW
IMO 9395599
|
1,100 TEU | 2007 |
21.1
|
E |
| 2068 |
MSC POTOMAC F
IMO 9236274
|
1,155 TEU | 2002 |
21.1
|
E |
| 2069 |
BG JADE
IMO 9803687
|
955 TEU | 2018 |
21.2
|
E |
| 2070 |
CONTSHIP SKY
IMO 9403449
|
1,118 TEU | 2008 |
21.2
|
E |
| 2071 |
LM HERMES
IMO 9374117
|
1,118 TEU | 2007 |
21.2
|
E |
| 2072 |
QUEEN NM
IMO 9234991
|
868 TEU | 2001 |
21.2
|
E |
| 2073 |
PERSEUS
IMO 9371414
|
925 TEU | 2008 |
21.2
|
E |
| 2074 |
X-PRESS TAGUS
IMO 9354375
|
868 TEU | 2007 |
21.2
|
E |
| 2075 |
CARLOTA B
IMO 9404065
|
803 TEU | 2007 |
21.2
|
E |
| 2076 |
SAMSKIP EXPRESS
IMO 9323479
|
803 TEU | 2006 |
21.3
|
E |
| 2077 |
MSC OAK F
IMO 9373917
|
1,080 TEU | 2007 |
21.3
|
E |
| 2078 |
SARA BORCHARD
IMO 9354428
|
868 TEU | 2007 |
21.3
|
E |
| 2079 |
X-PRESS AGILITY
IMO 9483671
|
1,036 TEU | 2010 |
21.4
|
E |
| 2080 |
DAGMAR
IMO 9354399
|
868 TEU | 2006 |
21.4
|
E |
| 2081 |
CHRISTINA
IMO 9429211
|
880 TEU | 2010 |
21.4
|
E |
| 2082 |
ELBWINTER
IMO 9398773
|
1,036 TEU | 2008 |
21.4
|
E |
| 2083 |
WEC CORNEILLE
IMO 9326940
|
862 TEU | 2005 |
21.4
|
E |
| 2084 |
TAMANRASSET
IMO 9760615
|
1,730 TEU | 2017 |
21.4
|
E |
| 2085 |
MIRIAM BORCHARD
IMO 9246554
|
868 TEU | 2004 |
21.5
|
E |
| 2086 |
CONTSHIP NEW
IMO 9373905
|
1,080 TEU | 2007 |
21.5
|
E |
| 2087 |
BEATE
IMO 9333345
|
868 TEU | 2005 |
21.5
|
E |
| 2088 |
ELI A
IMO 9326976
|
862 TEU | 2005 |
21.5
|
E |
| 2089 |
CONTSHIP GIN
IMO 9517434
|
1,350 TEU | 2011 |
21.6
|
E |
| 2090 |
CHS ALPHA
IMO 9301081
|
900 TEU | 2005 |
21.6
|
E |
| 2091 |
JAGUAR
IMO 9127007
|
1,122 TEU | 1996 |
21.7
|
E |
| 2092 |
FAITH
IMO 9301108
|
900 TEU | 2006 |
21.7
|
E |
| 2093 |
KANTATA
IMO 9327580
|
1,118 TEU | 2006 |
21.8
|
E |
| 2094 |
LUCIA B
IMO 9404077
|
803 TEU | 2007 |
21.8
|
E |
| 2095 |
MSC AMANDA F
IMO 9319600
|
916 TEU | 2006 |
21.8
|
E |
| 2096 |
PAVO J
IMO 9355458
|
850 TEU | 2007 |
21.8
|
E |
| 2097 |
DIANA B
IMO 9344239
|
850 TEU | 2006 |
21.8
|
E |
| 2098 |
DINA TRADER
IMO 9354442
|
868 TEU | 2007 |
21.8
|
E |
| 2099 |
VOHBURG
IMO 9287807
|
804 TEU | 2005 |
21.9
|
E |
| 2100 |
ILSE D
IMO 9514755
|
962 TEU | 2010 |
21.9
|
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.