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.
| # | Vessel | Size (TEU) | Built | Carbon intensity — AER (g CO₂/dwt·nm) | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1401 |
CINZIA A
IMO 9226516
|
2,452 TEU | 2001 |
9.9
|
D |
| 1402 |
SPIRIT OF SYDNEY
IMO 9391672
|
3,630 TEU | 2007 |
9.9
|
D |
| 1403 |
MAERSK BALI
IMO 9394870
|
3,100 TEU | 2007 |
10.0
|
D |
| 1404 |
JADRANA
IMO 9619385
|
4,800 TEU | 2014 |
10.0
|
D |
| 1405 |
HAIAN GAMA
IMO 9322516
|
3,400 TEU | 2007 |
10.0
|
D |
| 1406 |
OOCL GUANGZHOU
IMO 9404869
|
4,578 TEU | 2010 |
10.0
|
D |
| 1407 |
VENTO DI GRECALE
IMO 9985045
|
24,000 | 2024 |
10.0
|
D |
| 1408 |
HUTTON
IMO 9311787
|
2,700 TEU | 2006 |
10.0
|
D |
| 1409 |
NORDPACIFIC
IMO 9802487
|
2,500 TEU | 2018 |
10.0
|
D |
| 1410 |
CAPE ALTIUS
IMO 9848730
|
2,700 TEU | 2020 |
10.0
|
D |
| 1411 |
AITOLIKOS
IMO 9386483
|
4,360 TEU | 2009 |
10.0
|
D |
| 1412 |
MSC ANA CAMILA III
IMO 9261827
|
2,524 TEU | 2003 |
10.0
|
D |
| 1413 |
MARIUS
IMO 9802504
|
2,500 TEU | 2018 |
10.0
|
D |
| 1414 |
ARTEMIS
IMO 9339595
|
2,500 TEU | 2008 |
10.0
|
D |
| 1415 |
ATLANTIC STAR
IMO 9670573
|
3,817 TEU | 2012 |
10.0
|
D |
| 1416 |
GEMLIK EXPRESS
IMO 9751107
|
1,730 TEU | 2017 |
10.0
|
D |
| 1417 |
XIN WEI HAI
IMO 9312573
|
4,250 TEU | 2006 |
10.0
|
D |
| 1418 |
WADI ALRAYAN
IMO 9208875
|
3,011 TEU | 2000 |
10.0
|
D |
| 1419 |
CAPE SCOTT
IMO 9950117
|
2,700 TEU | 2023 |
10.1
|
D |
| 1420 |
MSC SPRING III
IMO 9316359
|
2,732 TEU | 2006 |
10.1
|
D |
| 1421 |
GLASGOW EXPRESS
IMO 9232589
|
4,115 TEU | 2002 |
10.1
|
D |
| 1422 |
CMA CGM DEBUSSY
IMO 9445576
|
4,300 TEU | 2009 |
10.1
|
D |
| 1423 |
ASTRAIOS
IMO 9961465
|
1,809 TEU | 2024 |
10.1
|
D |
| 1424 |
ALLEGRI
IMO 9127459
|
1,120 TEU | 1997 |
10.1
|
D |
| 1425 |
MSC ROSSELLA III
IMO 9320025
|
2,700 TEU | 2006 |
10.1
|
D |
| 1426 |
MSC KATYA R.
IMO 9227302
|
4,112 TEU | 2002 |
10.1
|
D |
| 1427 |
MSC HERMES
IMO 9350317
|
2,490 TEU | 2006 |
10.1
|
D |
| 1428 |
ANL WYONG
IMO 9334155
|
4,250 TEU | 2008 |
10.1
|
D |
| 1429 |
MSC NAISHA III
IMO 9307839
|
2,474 TEU | 2005 |
10.2
|
D |
| 1430 |
MSC ANGELA
IMO 9351593
|
4,254 TEU | 2008 |
10.2
|
D |
| 1431 |
MELCHIOR SCHULTE
IMO 9676723
|
2,345 TEU | 2015 |
10.2
|
D |
| 1432 |
GREAT LAGOS
IMO 9935026
|
2,000 TEU | 2023 |
10.2
|
D |
| 1433 |
GREAT CASABLANCA
IMO 9935052
|
2,000 TEU | 2024 |
10.2
|
D |
| 1434 |
KAWA KOPER
IMO 9159878
|
1,560 TEU | 1997 |
10.2
|
D |
| 1435 |
ZIM ASIA
IMO 9464716
|
4,308 TEU | 2010 |
10.2
|
D |
| 1436 |
SAN ALBERTO
IMO 9344643
|
1,819 TEU | 2007 |
10.2
|
D |
| 1437 |
MAERSK IZMIR
IMO 9348168
|
3,364 TEU | 2005 |
10.2
|
D |
| 1438 |
MSC DELHI II
IMO 9347255
|
1,819 TEU | 2008 |
10.2
|
D |
| 1439 |
GREAT ANTWERP
IMO 9935014
|
2,000 TEU | 2023 |
10.2
|
D |
| 1440 |
MAERSK NEWCASTLE
IMO 9215878
|
2,556 TEU | 1999 |
10.2
|
D |
| 1441 |
JPO GEMINI
IMO 9294020
|
2,474 TEU | 2005 |
10.2
|
D |
| 1442 |
GREAT TEMA
IMO 9935038
|
2,000 TEU | 2023 |
10.2
|
D |
| 1443 |
LITTLE EMMA
IMO 9980356
|
1,800 TEU | 2023 |
10.2
|
D |
| 1444 |
ATLANTIC SKY
IMO 9670602
|
3,817 TEU | 2017 |
10.2
|
D |
| 1445 |
SEOUL EXPRESS
IMO 9193305
|
4,843 TEU | 2000 |
10.2
|
D |
| 1446 |
JPO PISCES
IMO 9297852
|
4,132 TEU | 2005 |
10.2
|
D |
| 1447 |
HAMMONIA BALTICA
IMO 9481532
|
2,790 TEU | 2011 |
10.2
|
D |
| 1448 |
MSC IKARIA VI
IMO 9261449
|
4,492 TEU | 2002 |
10.3
|
D |
| 1449 |
CHIQUITA FARMER
IMO 1032438
|
1,747 TEU | 2025 |
10.3
|
D |
| 1450 |
AS NINA
IMO 9401178
|
3,400 TEU | 2006 |
10.3
|
D |
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.
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.