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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 851 |
W KLAIPEDA
IMO 9211482
|
6,802 TEU | 2001 |
7.5
|
C |
| 854 |
CMA CGM LISA MARIE
IMO 9729099
|
9,400 TEU | 2017 |
7.5
|
C |
| 853 |
MSC SARISKA V
IMO 8715857
|
3,937 TEU | 1990 |
7.5
|
C |
| 852 |
MAERSK GENOA
IMO 9739680
|
10,100 TEU | 2016 |
7.5
|
C |
| 855 |
CMA CGM NIAGARA
IMO 9722675
|
9,894 TEU | 2015 |
7.5
|
C |
| 856 |
MSC MANDY III
IMO 8918966
|
2,668 TEU | 1993 |
7.5
|
C |
| 857 |
MAERSK MONTE LINZOR
IMO 9283186
|
4,000 TEU | 2004 |
7.5
|
C |
| 859 |
MSC SHANGHAI V
IMO 9231822
|
4,800 TEU | 2002 |
7.6
|
C |
| 858 |
MSC NIOVI VIII
IMO 9290488
|
7,455 TEU | 2005 |
7.6
|
C |
| 860 |
LEONIDAS Z
IMO 9963528
|
2,782 TEU | 2024 |
7.6
|
C |
| 861 |
HERMANN SCHULTE
IMO 9535187
|
5,605 TEU | 2012 |
7.6
|
C |
| 862 |
BELITA
IMO 9318060
|
8,204 TEU | 2006 |
7.6
|
C |
| 863 |
MSC POH LIN
IMO 9279977
|
4,862 TEU | 2004 |
7.6
|
C |
| 866 |
MSC CHIARA X
IMO 9198587
|
6,600 TEU | 2000 |
7.6
|
C |
| 865 |
SEASPAN EMISSARY
IMO 9407158
|
5,041 TEU | 2009 |
7.6
|
C |
| 864 |
ROB
IMO 9236652
|
2,442 TEU | 2001 |
7.6
|
C |
| 868 |
BARCELONA EXPRESS
IMO 9626053
|
3,800 TEU | 2014 |
7.6
|
C |
| 867 |
OCEAN CASTLE
IMO 9315537
|
27,779 | 2005 |
7.6
|
C |
| 870 |
SAN FRANCISCO
IMO 9225615
|
6,750 TEU | 2001 |
7.6
|
C |
| 872 |
EVER STRONG
IMO 9300441
|
7,024 TEU | 2007 |
7.6
|
C |
| 869 |
MSC LORETTA
IMO 9230490
|
6,730 TEU | 2002 |
7.6
|
C |
| 871 |
NYK DEMETER
IMO 9337664
|
4,888 TEU | 2007 |
7.6
|
C |
| 873 |
TIANJIN
IMO 9398462
|
9,262 TEU | 2010 |
7.6
|
C |
| 875 |
MERVE A
IMO 9389681
|
4,250 TEU | 2008 |
7.6
|
C |
| 874 |
KOI
IMO 9461489
|
8,600 TEU | 2011 |
7.6
|
C |
| 876 |
OOCL ST. LAWRENCE
IMO 9290414
|
5,042 TEU | 2005 |
7.6
|
C |
| 877 |
MAERSK KENSINGTON
IMO 9333010
|
6,200 TEU | 2007 |
7.6
|
C |
| 878 |
MAERSK GUATEMALA
IMO 9713375
|
10,100 TEU | 2015 |
7.6
|
C |
| 880 |
MEDITERRANEAN EXPRESS
IMO 9622019
|
4,800 TEU | 2014 |
7.6
|
C |
| 879 |
NYK VIRGO
IMO 9312810
|
9,012 TEU | 2007 |
7.6
|
C |
| 882 |
KYOTO EXPRESS
IMO 9295256
|
8,235 TEU | 2005 |
7.6
|
C |
| 881 |
JOLLY ORO
IMO 9450313
|
4,600 TEU | 2009 |
7.6
|
C |
| 883 |
VENTA MAERSK
IMO 9775763
|
3,600 TEU | 2018 |
7.6
|
C |
| 884 |
MSC ANS
IMO 9282261
|
4,900 TEU | 2004 |
7.7
|
C |
| 885 |
MSC JORDAN III
IMO 8918980
|
2,668 TEU | 1993 |
7.7
|
C |
| 886 |
MSC RANIA
IMO 9309447
|
8,400 TEU | 2005 |
7.7
|
C |
| 891 |
FRANKFURT EXPRESS
IMO 9450442
|
8,600 TEU | 2010 |
7.7
|
C |
| 890 |
MSC TIANJIN
IMO 9285471
|
8,063 TEU | 2005 |
7.7
|
C |
| 889 |
CMA CGM ALCAZAR
IMO 9335197
|
5,089 TEU | 2007 |
7.7
|
C |
| 888 |
MOMBASA EXPRESS
IMO 9495777
|
4,600 TEU | 2013 |
7.7
|
C |
| 887 |
MAERSK NAKURU
IMO 9356103
|
2,478 TEU | 2005 |
7.7
|
C |
| 893 |
MSC SORAYA
IMO 9372494
|
5,770 TEU | 2008 |
7.7
|
C |
| 892 |
MSC KERRY VII
IMO 9221815
|
6,446 TEU | 2001 |
7.7
|
C |
| 897 |
MSC KRYSTAL
IMO 9372470
|
5,800 TEU | 2008 |
7.7
|
C |
| 896 |
WIELAND
IMO 9654464
|
4,771 TEU | 2014 |
7.7
|
C |
| 895 |
MSC LISA
IMO 9281279
|
5,059 TEU | 2004 |
7.7
|
C |
| 894 |
CMA CGM TITUS
IMO 9450636
|
8,500 TEU | 2010 |
7.7
|
C |
| 898 |
MSC BREMEN
IMO 9369734
|
5,029 TEU | 2007 |
7.7
|
C |
| 900 |
GSL SUSAN
IMO 9349617
|
4,363 TEU | 2008 |
7.7
|
C |
| 899 |
TSINGTAO EXPRESS
IMO 9320702
|
8,606 TEU | 2007 |
7.7
|
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.