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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 |
MED CERKEZKOY
IMO 9147215
|
1,076 TEU | 1998 |
23.3
|
E |
| 2002 |
KRISTIN SCHEPERS
IMO 9404089
|
812 TEU | 2008 |
23.3
|
E |
| 2003 |
ELBCARRIER
IMO 9388510
|
974 TEU | 2007 |
23.3
|
E |
| 2004 |
MSC TALIA F
IMO 9308601
|
916 TEU | 2005 |
23.3
|
E |
| 2005 |
NCL IKORNNES
IMO 9347798
|
916 TEU | 2006 |
23.4
|
E |
| 2006 |
ALEXANDRA A
IMO 9356684
|
1,022 TEU | 2011 |
23.4
|
E |
| 2007 |
MSC LUNA F
IMO 9308625
|
916 TEU | 2006 |
23.7
|
E |
| 2008 |
CONTSHIP MED
IMO 9306249
|
1,100 TEU | 2004 |
23.7
|
E |
| 2009 |
BF ESPERANZA
IMO 9252785
|
862 TEU | 2003 |
23.7
|
E |
| 2010 |
BF CARODA
IMO 9297618
|
862 TEU | 2004 |
23.8
|
E |
| 2011 |
ADMIRAL SUN
IMO 9437244
|
980 TEU | 2008 |
23.8
|
E |
| 2012 |
ELBSPRINTER
IMO 9349215
|
809 TEU | 2007 |
23.8
|
E |
| 2013 |
ANITA A
IMO 9532343
|
706 TEU | 2009 |
23.9
|
E |
| 2014 |
WEC VAN RUYSDAEL
IMO 9287792
|
804 TEU | 2004 |
23.9
|
E |
| 2015 |
WEC VAN EYCK
IMO 9365984
|
767 TEU | 2009 |
23.9
|
E |
| 2016 |
SAMSKIP EXPRESS
IMO 9323479
|
803 TEU | 2006 |
23.9
|
E |
| 2017 |
X-PRESS AGILITY
IMO 9483671
|
1,036 TEU | 2010 |
23.9
|
E |
| 2018 |
MSC OLGA F
IMO 9336359
|
1,080 TEU | 2006 |
23.9
|
E |
| 2019 |
INGA A
IMO 9020352
|
789 TEU | 1993 |
23.9
|
E |
| 2020 |
LINDA
IMO 9354325
|
908 TEU | 2007 |
24.0
|
E |
| 2021 |
WEC MAJORELLE
IMO 9134153
|
700 TEU | 1996 |
24.0
|
E |
| 2022 |
MSC AMIHAN F
IMO 9449687
|
957 TEU | 2008 |
24.0
|
E |
| 2023 |
MSC ANNE F
IMO 9347803
|
957 TEU | 2007 |
24.1
|
E |
| 2024 |
PANDA 002
IMO 9328053
|
804 TEU | 2007 |
24.1
|
E |
| 2025 |
CANDELARIA B
IMO 9277395
|
822 TEU | 2003 |
24.1
|
E |
| 2026 |
MAIKE D
IMO 9226372
|
660 TEU | 2000 |
24.1
|
E |
| 2027 |
EF AVA
IMO 9389306
|
698 TEU | 2008 |
24.2
|
E |
| 2028 |
BERNHARD SCHEPERS
IMO 9492505
|
1,036 TEU | 2011 |
24.2
|
E |
| 2029 |
HELGAFELL
IMO 9306017
|
908 TEU | 2005 |
24.3
|
E |
| 2030 |
CHRISTINA
IMO 9429211
|
880 TEU | 2010 |
24.3
|
E |
| 2031 |
CONTSHIP RAY
IMO 9388338
|
1,080 TEU | 2008 |
24.4
|
E |
| 2032 |
WEC BOUMEESTER
IMO 9150080
|
624 TEU | 1997 |
24.4
|
E |
| 2033 |
SOLONG
IMO 9322554
|
803 TEU | 2005 |
24.5
|
E |
| 2034 |
JORK RULER
IMO 9328027
|
804 TEU | 2006 |
24.6
|
E |
| 2035 |
SAMSKIP INNOVATOR
IMO 9436214
|
803 TEU | 2011 |
24.6
|
E |
| 2036 |
MEANDI
IMO 9328039
|
804 TEU | 2006 |
24.6
|
E |
| 2037 |
HAMBURG TRADER
IMO 9316098
|
1,102 TEU | 2005 |
24.7
|
E |
| 2038 |
X-PRESS GODAVARI
IMO 9353735
|
917 TEU | 2008 |
24.8
|
E |
| 2039 |
NINA A
IMO 9440605
|
698 TEU | 2008 |
24.8
|
E |
| 2040 |
MSC NINA F
IMO 9308584
|
916 TEU | 2005 |
24.8
|
E |
| 2041 |
NORDIC HAMBURG
IMO 9514755
|
962 TEU | 2010 |
24.9
|
E |
| 2042 |
DREAM
IMO 9322578
|
803 TEU | 2006 |
24.9
|
E |
| 2043 |
VEGA VELA
IMO 9306823
|
1,118 TEU | 2005 |
24.9
|
E |
| 2044 |
CONTSHIP FUN
IMO 9308613
|
916 TEU | 2006 |
24.9
|
E |
| 2045 |
LUCY BORCHARD
IMO 9390824
|
672 TEU | 2006 |
24.9
|
E |
| 2046 |
CONTSHIP JOY
IMO 9349174
|
925 TEU | 2007 |
24.9
|
E |
| 2047 |
GRETA
IMO 9404821
|
698 TEU | 2008 |
24.9
|
E |
| 2048 |
FREYA
IMO 9219874
|
658 TEU | 2000 |
25.0
|
E |
| 2049 |
BF PERCH
IMO 9437218
|
980 TEU | 2007 |
25.0
|
E |
| 2050 |
MISANA
IMO 9348936
|
420 TEU | 2007 |
25.0
|
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.