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.

Segment rank (2025)

#1,978 of 2,221 container ships

CO₂ intensity

19.0 g CO₂/dwt·nm

vs segment average (9.9)

+92% higher

Bulk Carrier Container Ship Oil Tanker Chemical Tanker Gas Carrier LNG Carrier General Cargo Vehicle Carrier Refrigerated Cargo Ro-Ro Cargo

Sort 🌱 Greenest first 🔧 Least efficient first — retrofit candidates

Size (TEU)

All sizes < 3,000 TEU 3k – 8k TEU 8k – 14k TEU > 14,000 TEU

Year

2025 2024

2,267

vessels ranked

2.88

greenest (g CO₂/t·nm)

8.38

segment median

#	Vessel	Size (TEU)	Built	Length	Main Engine	Carbon intensity — AER (g CO₂/dwt·nm)	Grade
1951	WEC VAN GOGH IMO 9246566	880 TEU	2004	134 m	MAK/Caterpillar - MAK 9 M 43	18.2	E
1952	CAPE FULMAR IMO 9359313	1,440 TEU	2007	170 m	MAN - 8S50MC-C	18.2	E
1953	GRANDE GABON IMO 9437933	800 TEU	2011	211 m	Hyundai - 8S60MC-C	18.3	E
1954	SAMSKIP AMINA IMO 9448683	1,085 TEU	2011	158 m	Wärtsilä - 6RT-flex50	18.3	E
1955	MSC CHARLOTTE IMO 9330238	1,100 TEU	2007	148 m	MAN - 7 L58/64	18.3	E
1956	PAN GG IMO 9236286	1,155 TEU	2002	149 m	MECKLENBURGER METALLGUSS, WAREN GERMANY DSG74M1-6	18.4	E
1957	MSC EDITH II IMO 9169029	1,658 TEU	1998	216 m	MAN - 9L58/64	18.4	E
1958	WES GESA IMO 9504061	1,036 TEU	2012	152 m	MAN - 8L48/60B	18.4	E
1959	HENNEKE RAMBOW IMO 9354430	868 TEU	2007	134 m	MAK/Caterpillar - 9M43C	18.5	E
1960	CMA CGM EAST IMO 9396622	1,350 TEU	2008	161 m	MAN - 8S50MC-C	18.5	E
1961	SKALAR IMO 9458975	1,036 TEU	2012	152 m	MAN - 8L48/60B	18.5	E
1962	MED DENIZLI IMO 9106493	1,055 TEU	1996	151 m	MAN - 7 L58/64	18.5	E
1963	ELBSAILOR IMO 9448695	1,085 TEU	2012	158 m	Hitachi - 6RT-FLEX50B	18.6	E
1964	MED CERKEZKOY IMO 9147215	1,076 TEU	1998	146 m	MAN - 7 L58/64	18.6	E
1965	CONTSHIP ERA IMO 9507702	1,118 TEU	2009	148 m	MAN - 6S50MC-C	18.6	E
1966	MED URLA IMO 9160920	847 TEU	1997	131 m	MAN - 8 L 48/60	18.6	E
1967	MEDKON MAX IMO 9347786	916 TEU	2006	139 m	MAN - 8L48/60B	18.6	E
1968	MAYFIELD IMO 9216353	1,216 TEU	2001	159 m	Hyundai - 8 RTA 62 U	18.7	E
1969	CONTSHIP JET IMO 9348625	1,267 TEU	2007	159 m	Wärtsilä - 9 L46 D	18.7	E
1970	MSC LEVANTE F IMO 9330264	1,080 TEU	2006	148 m	MAN - 7 L58/64	18.7	E
1971	HELMUT IMO 9354466	868 TEU	2006	134 m	MAK/Caterpillar - 9M43C	18.7	E
1972	CONTSHIP ECO IMO 9492751	700 TEU	2008	124 m	Shaanxi Diesel Engine Heavy Industry Co. Ltd. 8PC2-6	18.8	E
1973	LYNN IMO 9295531	855 TEU	2007	141 m	MAK/Caterpillar - 9M43C	18.8	E
1974	HANSA MUNKSUND IMO 9429223	880 TEU	2012	158 m	MAK/Caterpillar - 9M43C	18.8	E
1975	BARBARA P IMO 9144720	910 TEU	1997	139 m	MAK/Caterpillar - 8 M 601 C	18.8	E
1976	NOVA IMO 9250098	966 TEU	2002	159 m	Wärtsilä - 7 L 64	18.9	E
1977	BALTIC WHALE IMO 9354454	868 TEU	2006	134 m	MAK/Caterpillar - 9M43C	18.9	E
1978	WEC DE HOOGH IMO 9315018	868 TEU	2005	149 m	CATERPILLAR MOTOREN GMBH & CO. KG 9 M 43	19.0	E
1979	IDA RAMBOW IMO 9354478	1,008 TEU	2007	149 m	MAK/Caterpillar - 9M43C	19.0	E
1980	MEDKON CANAKKALE IMO 9341964	698 TEU	2007	130 m	MAK/Caterpillar - 8 M 43 C	19.0	E
1981	ELBRUNNER IMO 9395563	974 TEU	2009	140 m	MAK/Caterpillar - 9M43C	19.0	E
1982	CHARLOTTA IMO 9429209	880 TEU	2009	141 m	MAK/Caterpillar - 9M43C	19.1	E
1983	ELBWAVE IMO 9504035	1,036 TEU	2011	152 m	MAN - 8L48/60B	19.1	E
1984	JONA SOPHIE IMO 9144718	910 TEU	1997	139 m	MAK/Caterpillar - 8 M 601 C	19.1	E
1985	BALLATA IMO 9327578	1,100 TEU	2006	148 m	MAN - 7 L58/64	19.1	E
1986	MITO IMO 9319571	1,118 TEU	2006	148 m	MAN - 8L48/60B	19.1	E
1987	GFS LYSA IMO 9368730	1,338 TEU	2007	161 m	Hudong Heavy Machinery - 8S50MC-C	19.1	E
1988	ATLANTIC EXPRESS IMO 9330850	1,100 TEU	2007	148 m	MAN - 7 L58/64	19.1	E
1989	MAUREN IMO 9306251	1,100 TEU	2005	148 m	MAN - 7 L58/64	19.2	E
1990	WEC VAN RIJN IMO 9315006	868 TEU	2005	149 m	MAK/Caterpillar - 9M43	19.2	E
1991	MSC AZURIT F IMO 9403437	1,080 TEU	2008	148 m	MAN - 7L58/64CD	19.2	E
1992	PHOENIX J IMO 9504047	786 TEU	2010	152 m	MAK/Caterpillar - MAK 9M43C	19.3	E
1993	MSC ABIGAIL F IMO 9330226	1,100 TEU	2006	148 m	MAN - 7 L58/64	19.3	E
1994	ISABELLA B IMO 9483358	1,036 TEU	2012	148 m	MAN - 8L48/60B	19.3	E
1995	KILIA IMO 9412517	880 TEU	2010	158 m	MAK/Caterpillar - MAK 9 M 43	19.3	E
1996	VERA A IMO 9372585	1,022 TEU	2011	142 m	MAN - 7 L58/64	19.3	E
1997	CMA CGM WEST IMO 9396610	1,350 TEU	2008	161 m	Hudong Heavy Machinery - 8S50MC-C	19.4	E
1998	MEDKON ANA IMO 9308596	916 TEU	2005	139 m	MAN - 8L48/60B	19.4	E
1999	AKHISAR IMO 9237149	600 TEU	2001	117 m	MAN - 7 S 35 MC	19.4	E
2000	CONTSHIP TOP IMO 9395616	1,100 TEU	2008	148 m	MAN - 7 L58/64	19.4	E

Page 40 of 45 — 2,221 vessels

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Engine intelligence

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.

Emission-friendly engine ranking

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.