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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1851 |
ELBWAVE
IMO 9504035
|
1,036 TEU | 2011 |
19.3
|
E |
| 1852 |
GRANDE ELLADE
IMO 9220627
|
753 TEU | 2001 |
19.3
|
E |
| 1853 |
ISABELLA B
IMO 9483358
|
1,036 TEU | 2012 |
19.4
|
E |
| 1854 |
ELBSKY
IMO 9412531
|
880 TEU | 2011 |
19.4
|
E |
| 1855 |
SKALAR
IMO 9458975
|
1,036 TEU | 2012 |
19.4
|
E |
| 1856 |
CONTSHIP TOP
IMO 9395616
|
1,100 TEU | 2008 |
19.5
|
E |
| 1857 |
ELBSTROM
IMO 9369007
|
974 TEU | 2008 |
19.5
|
E |
| 1858 |
HENNEKE RAMBOW
IMO 9354430
|
868 TEU | 2007 |
19.6
|
E |
| 1859 |
JAGUAR
IMO 9127007
|
1,122 TEU | 1996 |
19.7
|
E |
| 1860 |
BEATE
IMO 9333345
|
868 TEU | 2005 |
19.7
|
E |
| 1861 |
MITO
IMO 9319571
|
1,118 TEU | 2006 |
19.7
|
E |
| 1862 |
NORDICA
IMO 9483695
|
1,036 TEU | 2011 |
19.7
|
E |
| 1863 |
WEC VAN GOGH
IMO 9246566
|
880 TEU | 2004 |
19.8
|
E |
| 1864 |
ARIES J
IMO 9514767
|
786 TEU | 2011 |
19.8
|
E |
| 1865 |
CONTSHIP ACE
IMO 9348637
|
1,267 TEU | 2008 |
19.8
|
E |
| 1866 |
LILA CANADA
IMO 9332717
|
1,118 TEU | 2006 |
19.9
|
E |
| 1867 |
KILIA
IMO 9412517
|
880 TEU | 2010 |
20.0
|
E |
| 1868 |
SC PHILLY
IMO 9330276
|
1,080 TEU | 2007 |
20.0
|
E |
| 1869 |
HEINRICH
IMO 9584475
|
1,036 TEU | 2012 |
20.0
|
E |
| 1870 |
ELI A
IMO 9326976
|
862 TEU | 2005 |
20.1
|
E |
| 1871 |
AS SARA
IMO 9410272
|
1,713 TEU | 2010 |
20.1
|
E |
| 1872 |
NIEVES B
IMO 9483683
|
1,036 TEU | 2011 |
20.1
|
E |
| 1873 |
HELENA SCHEPERS
IMO 9584487
|
1,036 TEU | 2012 |
20.1
|
E |
| 1874 |
ZIM NEW ZEALAND
IMO 9366471
|
1,155 TEU | 2007 |
20.2
|
E |
| 1875 |
CONTSHIP NEW
IMO 9373905
|
1,080 TEU | 2007 |
20.2
|
E |
| 1876 |
VISITOR
IMO 9297606
|
862 TEU | 2004 |
20.2
|
E |
| 1877 |
PERSEUS
IMO 9371414
|
925 TEU | 2008 |
20.2
|
E |
| 1878 |
AKHISAR
IMO 9237149
|
600 TEU | 2001 |
20.3
|
E |
| 1879 |
SONATA
IMO 9316103
|
1,102 TEU | 2006 |
20.3
|
E |
| 1880 |
LEYLA KALKAVAN
IMO 9126924
|
1,145 TEU | 1997 |
20.3
|
E |
| 1881 |
KATHERINE BORCHARD
IMO 9246530
|
868 TEU | 2004 |
20.3
|
E |
| 1882 |
PHOENIX J
IMO 9504047
|
786 TEU | 2010 |
20.3
|
E |
| 1883 |
BG JADE
IMO 9803687
|
955 TEU | 2018 |
20.3
|
E |
| 1884 |
ELBSAILOR
IMO 9448695
|
1,085 TEU | 2012 |
20.3
|
E |
| 1885 |
CHARLOTTA
IMO 9429209
|
880 TEU | 2009 |
20.4
|
E |
| 1886 |
ATLANTIC MERCHANT
IMO 9378929
|
1,100 TEU | 2008 |
20.4
|
E |
| 1887 |
LOLA B
IMO 9353723
|
917 TEU | 2007 |
20.5
|
E |
| 1888 |
BG SAPPHIRE
IMO 9803699
|
955 TEU | 2018 |
20.5
|
E |
| 1889 |
ELBTRADER
IMO 9388534
|
974 TEU | 2008 |
20.5
|
E |
| 1890 |
ZIM AUSTRALIA
IMO 9366445
|
1,155 TEU | 2007 |
20.5
|
E |
| 1891 |
CACHALOT
IMO 9212022
|
1,216 TEU | 2000 |
20.5
|
E |
| 1892 |
NCL AVERØY
IMO 9326990
|
862 TEU | 2006 |
20.5
|
E |
| 1893 |
MAUREN
IMO 9306251
|
1,100 TEU | 2005 |
20.6
|
E |
| 1894 |
SSF LILY
IMO 9318266
|
1,155 TEU | 2005 |
20.6
|
E |
| 1895 |
ANDANTE
IMO 9354387
|
868 TEU | 2007 |
20.6
|
E |
| 1896 |
WES GESA
IMO 9504061
|
1,036 TEU | 2012 |
20.6
|
E |
| 1897 |
GRAN BRETAGNA
IMO 9143702
|
750 TEU | 1999 |
20.7
|
E |
| 1898 |
ADMIRAL MOON
IMO 9437220
|
980 TEU | 2008 |
20.7
|
E |
| 1899 |
MARSA VIRGO
IMO 9324954
|
1,118 TEU | 2006 |
20.7
|
E |
| 1900 |
TITAN
IMO 9126998
|
1,122 TEU | 1996 |
20.7
|
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.