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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 652 |
GUAYAQUIL EXPRESS
IMO 9777620
|
10,818 TEU | 2017 |
6.8
|
B |
| 651 |
MSC AGRIGENTO
IMO 9618276
|
8,800 TEU | 2013 |
6.8
|
B |
| 653 |
MSC CATERINA
IMO 9705005
|
8,800 TEU | 2015 |
6.8
|
B |
| 654 |
ONE OLYMPUS
IMO 9312987
|
8,628 TEU | 2008 |
6.8
|
B |
| 656 |
COLORADO EXPRESS
IMO 9349502
|
6,435 TEU | 2008 |
6.8
|
B |
| 655 |
MAERSK SAN VICENTE
IMO 9699206
|
9,000 TEU | 2014 |
6.8
|
B |
| 657 |
MSC ELEONORA III
IMO 9064750
|
2,480 TEU | 1994 |
6.8
|
B |
| 658 |
SUAPE EXPRESS
IMO 9332858
|
6,350 TEU | 2008 |
6.8
|
B |
| 660 |
COLOMBIA EXPRESS
IMO 9635664
|
6,900 TEU | 2013 |
6.8
|
B |
| 659 |
BEIJING
IMO 9308508
|
9,383 TEU | 2006 |
6.8
|
B |
| 662 |
HYUNDAI VOYAGER
IMO 9347580
|
4,728 TEU | 2008 |
6.8
|
B |
| 661 |
MSC GISELLE
IMO 9720196
|
9,400 TEU | 2015 |
6.8
|
B |
| 663 |
CSCL MARS
IMO 9467287
|
13,300 TEU | 2011 |
6.8
|
B |
| 665 |
MEGALOPOLIS
IMO 9477799
|
4,800 TEU | 2013 |
6.8
|
B |
| 664 |
MSC SHAY
IMO 9393022
|
8,562 TEU | 2009 |
6.8
|
B |
| 666 |
TRAIGUEN
IMO 9627904
|
8,704 TEU | 2013 |
6.9
|
B |
| 668 |
MSC ROBERTA V
IMO 9038907
|
4,422 TEU | 1993 |
6.9
|
B |
| 669 |
MSC MICHELA
IMO 9720512
|
9,411 TEU | 2016 |
6.9
|
B |
| 667 |
MSC SHANNON III
IMO 8913423
|
2,668 TEU | 1991 |
6.9
|
B |
| 671 |
MSC LISBON
IMO 9304459
|
9,200 TEU | 2007 |
6.9
|
B |
| 670 |
CISNES
IMO 9687576
|
9,326 TEU | 2015 |
6.9
|
B |
| 672 |
APL MIAMI
IMO 9597549
|
9,200 TEU | 2014 |
6.9
|
B |
| 674 |
MSC ELODIE
IMO 9704972
|
8,800 TEU | 2015 |
6.9
|
B |
| 673 |
CAPE HELLAS
IMO 9857444
|
2,700 TEU | 2021 |
6.9
|
B |
| 675 |
OOCL EUROPE
IMO 9300805
|
8,063 TEU | 2006 |
6.9
|
B |
| 677 |
NYK OCEANUS
IMO 9312975
|
8,628 TEU | 2007 |
6.9
|
B |
| 676 |
MAERSK DETROIT
IMO 9333034
|
6,200 TEU | 2008 |
6.9
|
B |
| 678 |
CMA CGM CALLISTO
IMO 9410753
|
11,400 TEU | 2010 |
6.9
|
B |
| 679 |
MAERSK MAKUTU
IMO 9318319
|
4,154 TEU | 2007 |
6.9
|
B |
| 681 |
MISSOURI EXPRESS
IMO 9349552
|
6,921 TEU | 2008 |
6.9
|
B |
| 680 |
MSC AVNI
IMO 9756729
|
9,962 TEU | 2017 |
6.9
|
B |
| 682 |
EVER LENIENT
IMO 9604146
|
8,452 TEU | 2014 |
6.9
|
B |
| 683 |
MSC ALTAMIRA
IMO 9619426
|
8,762 TEU | 2012 |
6.9
|
B |
| 685 |
CMA CGM GANGES
IMO 9718117
|
10,000 TEU | 2013 |
6.9
|
B |
| 684 |
KMARIN ATLANTICA
IMO 9632507
|
4,622 TEU | 2013 |
6.9
|
B |
| 686 |
DELAWARE EXPRESS
IMO 9349514
|
6,500 TEU | 2008 |
6.9
|
B |
| 689 |
ONE HOUSTON
IMO 9566382
|
8,930 TEU | 2012 |
6.9
|
B |
| 688 |
MSC STELLA
IMO 9279989
|
6,724 TEU | 2004 |
6.9
|
B |
| 687 |
HYUNDAI FORCE
IMO 9347566
|
8,566 TEU | 2008 |
6.9
|
B |
| 690 |
ONE HONOLULU
IMO 9588079
|
8,930 TEU | 2012 |
6.9
|
B |
| 693 |
CMA CGM COLUMBA
IMO 9410789
|
11,400 TEU | 2011 |
6.9
|
B |
| 692 |
CMA CGM BOLDNESS
IMO 9948243
|
6,874 TEU | 2021 |
6.9
|
B |
| 691 |
EXPRESS ARGENTINA
IMO 9443011
|
3,459 TEU | 2010 |
6.9
|
B |
| 699 |
CMA CGM MOLIERE
IMO 9401099
|
6,570 TEU | 2009 |
6.9
|
B |
| 698 |
MSC MUNDRA VIII
IMO 9294989
|
8,400 TEU | 2005 |
6.9
|
B |
| 697 |
HUBERT SCHULTE
IMO 9535204
|
5,605 TEU | 2012 |
6.9
|
B |
| 696 |
MSC SASHA
IMO 9720500
|
8,800 TEU | 2016 |
6.9
|
B |
| 695 |
MSC NATASHA XIII
IMO 9463035
|
10,000 TEU | 2011 |
6.9
|
B |
| 694 |
MSC PALAK
IMO 9735206
|
9,400 TEU | 2016 |
6.9
|
B |
| 700 |
MSC JULIE
IMO 9704996
|
8,800 TEU | 2015 |
7.0
|
B |
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.