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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2101 |
ILSE D
IMO 9514755
|
962 TEU | 2010 |
21.9
|
E |
| 2102 |
SONATA
IMO 9316103
|
1,102 TEU | 2006 |
21.9
|
E |
| 2103 |
X-PRESS ELBE
IMO 9483669
|
1,036 TEU | 2010 |
21.9
|
E |
| 2104 |
BG EMERALD
IMO 9803704
|
955 TEU | 2018 |
22.0
|
E |
| 2105 |
MONTE BRASIL
IMO 9083055
|
621 TEU | 1994 |
22.0
|
E |
| 2106 |
ARNARFELL
IMO 9306005
|
908 TEU | 2005 |
22.0
|
E |
| 2107 |
WILHELM
IMO 9376050
|
868 TEU | 2008 |
22.0
|
E |
| 2108 |
BF PERCH
IMO 9437218
|
980 TEU | 2007 |
22.1
|
E |
| 2109 |
CT PACHUCA
IMO 9344253
|
750 TEU | 2005 |
22.1
|
E |
| 2110 |
ELBSUN
IMO 9429261
|
880 TEU | 2012 |
22.1
|
E |
| 2111 |
AVILA
IMO 9295529
|
855 TEU | 2007 |
22.1
|
E |
| 2112 |
MARTINE A
IMO 9020340
|
1,139 TEU | 1993 |
22.1
|
E |
| 2113 |
ELBFEEDER
IMO 9388522
|
974 TEU | 2008 |
22.1
|
E |
| 2114 |
KATHERINE BORCHARD
IMO 9246530
|
868 TEU | 2004 |
22.1
|
E |
| 2115 |
MASTERY D
IMO 9301201
|
900 TEU | 2006 |
22.2
|
E |
| 2116 |
PROS HOPE
IMO 9319557
|
1,100 TEU | 2005 |
22.2
|
E |
| 2117 |
LINDA
IMO 9354325
|
908 TEU | 2007 |
22.2
|
E |
| 2118 |
SPICA J
IMO 9355460
|
850 TEU | 2007 |
22.3
|
E |
| 2119 |
MONTE DA GUIA
IMO 9123788
|
621 TEU | 1995 |
22.4
|
E |
| 2120 |
EDITH
IMO 9328625
|
750 TEU | 2005 |
22.4
|
E |
| 2121 |
WEC VAN EYCK
IMO 9365984
|
767 TEU | 2009 |
22.5
|
E |
| 2122 |
ERASMUS HOPE
IMO 9396634
|
1,338 TEU | 2008 |
22.6
|
E |
| 2123 |
MEDKON LUNA
IMO 9341976
|
698 TEU | 2007 |
22.6
|
E |
| 2124 |
PEGASUS J
IMO 9355434
|
850 TEU | 2006 |
22.6
|
E |
| 2125 |
BJORG
IMO 9231834
|
868 TEU | 2001 |
22.6
|
E |
| 2126 |
ZIM NEW ZEALAND
IMO 9366471
|
1,155 TEU | 2007 |
22.7
|
E |
| 2127 |
FINE SCHEPERS
IMO 9323467
|
804 TEU | 2006 |
22.7
|
E |
| 2128 |
PICTOR
IMO 9371426
|
925 TEU | 2009 |
22.7
|
E |
| 2129 |
BF CARP
IMO 9437256
|
980 TEU | 2009 |
22.9
|
E |
| 2130 |
AMELIE BORCHARD
IMO 9242560
|
868 TEU | 2002 |
22.9
|
E |
| 2131 |
AQUARIUS
IMO 9328651
|
707 TEU | 2005 |
22.9
|
E |
| 2132 |
HMO LEADER
IMO 9169811
|
650 TEU | 1997 |
22.9
|
E |
| 2133 |
SYNETOS
IMO 9347774
|
916 TEU | 2006 |
22.9
|
E |
| 2134 |
RUTH
IMO 9376036
|
868 TEU | 2008 |
23.0
|
E |
| 2135 |
IPIOS
IMO 9359117
|
1,100 TEU | 2006 |
23.1
|
E |
| 2136 |
CONTSHIP ONO
IMO 9324978
|
1,118 TEU | 2007 |
23.1
|
E |
| 2137 |
MSC TALIA F
IMO 9308601
|
916 TEU | 2005 |
23.1
|
E |
| 2138 |
YERUPAJA
IMO 9412488
|
880 TEU | 2010 |
23.1
|
E |
| 2139 |
EINSTEIN
IMO 9483346
|
1,036 TEU | 2012 |
23.1
|
E |
| 2140 |
MSC LUNA F
IMO 9308625
|
916 TEU | 2006 |
23.2
|
E |
| 2141 |
PERSEUS
IMO 9129469
|
660 TEU | 1996 |
23.2
|
E |
| 2142 |
BF LETICIA
IMO 9266542
|
862 TEU | 2003 |
23.2
|
E |
| 2143 |
MSC SAGITTARIUS F
IMO 9491616
|
916 TEU | 2012 |
23.3
|
E |
| 2144 |
DEPE
IMO 9186405
|
658 TEU | 1998 |
23.3
|
E |
| 2145 |
CARLA
IMO 9319868
|
750 TEU | 2004 |
23.4
|
E |
| 2146 |
CONTSHIP JOY
IMO 9349174
|
925 TEU | 2007 |
23.4
|
E |
| 2147 |
ZIM AUSTRALIA
IMO 9366445
|
1,155 TEU | 2007 |
23.4
|
E |
| 2148 |
MEANDI
IMO 9328039
|
804 TEU | 2006 |
23.4
|
E |
| 2149 |
CMA CGM DAKHLA
IMO 9461594
|
1,036 TEU | 2008 |
23.5
|
E |
| 2150 |
MSC ANNE F
IMO 9347803
|
957 TEU | 2007 |
23.6
|
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 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.