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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 |
EINSTEIN
IMO 9483346
|
1,036 TEU | 2012 |
22.1
|
E |
| 1952 |
NCL SALTEN
IMO 9252773
|
862 TEU | 2002 |
22.1
|
E |
| 1953 |
NAAMA BORCHARD
IMO 9242558
|
868 TEU | 2002 |
22.1
|
E |
| 1954 |
CONTAINERSHIPS VIII
IMO 9336244
|
832 TEU | 2006 |
22.1
|
E |
| 1955 |
VOHBURG
IMO 9287807
|
804 TEU | 2005 |
22.1
|
E |
| 1956 |
MED URLA
IMO 9160920
|
847 TEU | 1997 |
22.1
|
E |
| 1957 |
CONTAINERSHIPS VI
IMO 9188518
|
959 TEU | 1999 |
22.2
|
E |
| 1958 |
CT DANIEL
IMO 9326988
|
862 TEU | 2006 |
22.2
|
E |
| 1959 |
LUCIA B
IMO 9404077
|
803 TEU | 2007 |
22.2
|
E |
| 1960 |
JSP RIDER
IMO 9322566
|
804 TEU | 2006 |
22.2
|
E |
| 1961 |
MONTE BRASIL
IMO 9083055
|
621 TEU | 1994 |
22.3
|
E |
| 1962 |
BJORG
IMO 9231834
|
868 TEU | 2001 |
22.3
|
E |
| 1963 |
ATLANTIC MONACO
IMO 9356658
|
1,028 TEU | 2008 |
22.4
|
E |
| 1964 |
HELMUT
IMO 9354466
|
868 TEU | 2006 |
22.4
|
E |
| 1965 |
MARTINE A
IMO 9020340
|
1,139 TEU | 1993 |
22.5
|
E |
| 1966 |
JSP ANNA
IMO 9354454
|
868 TEU | 2006 |
22.5
|
E |
| 1967 |
ADILIA I
IMO 9318761
|
830 TEU | 2005 |
22.5
|
E |
| 1968 |
PERSEUS
IMO 9129469
|
660 TEU | 1996 |
22.5
|
E |
| 1969 |
CONTSHIP ONO
IMO 9324978
|
1,118 TEU | 2007 |
22.5
|
E |
| 1970 |
BF TROUT
IMO 9437232
|
980 TEU | 2008 |
22.5
|
E |
| 1971 |
ANDREA
IMO 9333357
|
868 TEU | 2005 |
22.6
|
E |
| 1972 |
MSC LEVANTE F
IMO 9330264
|
1,080 TEU | 2006 |
22.6
|
E |
| 1973 |
RUMBA
IMO 9264714
|
657 TEU | 2003 |
22.6
|
E |
| 1974 |
MSC AMANDA F
IMO 9319600
|
916 TEU | 2006 |
22.6
|
E |
| 1975 |
CMA CGM DAKHLA
IMO 9461594
|
1,036 TEU | 2008 |
22.6
|
E |
| 1976 |
ATLANTIC GREEN
IMO 9354404
|
868 TEU | 2006 |
22.7
|
E |
| 1977 |
AURORA
IMO 9234989
|
868 TEU | 2001 |
22.7
|
E |
| 1978 |
PIRITA
IMO 9108063
|
660 TEU | 1995 |
22.8
|
E |
| 1979 |
TROUPER
IMO 9326952
|
862 TEU | 2005 |
22.8
|
E |
| 1980 |
CT PACHUCA
IMO 9344253
|
750 TEU | 2005 |
22.8
|
E |
| 1981 |
MEL SPIRIT
IMO 9237369
|
868 TEU | 2001 |
22.8
|
E |
| 1982 |
MEDKON PEP
IMO 9319595
|
916 TEU | 2006 |
22.9
|
E |
| 1983 |
CONTSHIP PAX
IMO 9435521
|
1,100 TEU | 2008 |
22.9
|
E |
| 1984 |
ATLANTIS A
IMO 9354375
|
868 TEU | 2007 |
22.9
|
E |
| 1985 |
CONTSHIP GEM
IMO 9491599
|
916 TEU | 2010 |
22.9
|
E |
| 1986 |
JSP MISTRAL
IMO 9368041
|
905 TEU | 2010 |
23.0
|
E |
| 1987 |
HENRIKE SCHEPERS
IMO 9404091
|
803 TEU | 2008 |
23.0
|
E |
| 1988 |
CONTSHIP OAK
IMO 9373917
|
1,080 TEU | 2007 |
23.0
|
E |
| 1989 |
SANTUCA B
IMO 9287687
|
864 TEU | 2003 |
23.0
|
E |
| 1990 |
BG IRELAND
IMO 9355446
|
850 TEU | 2007 |
23.0
|
E |
| 1991 |
NCL MAKRELL
IMO 9347774
|
916 TEU | 2006 |
23.0
|
E |
| 1992 |
FAITH
IMO 9301108
|
900 TEU | 2006 |
23.1
|
E |
| 1993 |
NANTO
IMO 9083043
|
749 TEU | 1994 |
23.1
|
E |
| 1994 |
ARNARFELL
IMO 9306005
|
908 TEU | 2005 |
23.1
|
E |
| 1995 |
CT ROTTERDAM
IMO 9395575
|
974 TEU | 2009 |
23.1
|
E |
| 1996 |
DINA TRADER
IMO 9354442
|
868 TEU | 2007 |
23.1
|
E |
| 1997 |
LAGARFOSS
IMO 9641314
|
880 TEU | 2014 |
23.1
|
E |
| 1998 |
EDITH
IMO 9328625
|
750 TEU | 2005 |
23.2
|
E |
| 1999 |
RIJNBORG
IMO 9355812
|
1,712 TEU | 2007 |
23.2
|
E |
| 2000 |
BF LETICIA
IMO 9266542
|
862 TEU | 2003 |
23.3
|
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.