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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1751 |
OOCL RAUMA
IMO 9462794
|
1,425 TEU | 2009 |
16.2
|
E |
| 1752 |
MSC MARYLENA II
IMO 9169031
|
1,658 TEU | 1998 |
16.3
|
E |
| 1753 |
RMS MEL
IMO 9387607
|
698 TEU | 2008 |
16.3
|
E |
| 1754 |
WARNOW MASTER
IMO 9449833
|
1,496 TEU | 2006 |
16.4
|
E |
| 1755 |
AS FABIANA
IMO 9395109
|
1,284 TEU | 2007 |
16.4
|
E |
| 1756 |
CMA CGM KAILAS
IMO 9339545
|
1,860 TEU | 2006 |
16.4
|
E |
| 1757 |
SC MEDFORD
IMO 9275103
|
1,200 TEU | 2004 |
16.4
|
E |
| 1758 |
ATLANTIC NORTH
IMO 9236597
|
1,129 TEU | 2002 |
16.4
|
E |
| 1759 |
THETIS D
IMO 9372274
|
1,425 TEU | 2009 |
16.4
|
E |
| 1760 |
RACHEL BORCHARD
IMO 9212010
|
1,216 TEU | 2000 |
16.5
|
E |
| 1761 |
HEINRICH EHLER
IMO 9372200
|
1,425 TEU | 2008 |
16.5
|
E |
| 1762 |
MSC ESHA F
IMO 9004231
|
923 TEU | 1993 |
16.5
|
E |
| 1763 |
MSC MIA SUMMER II
IMO 9169067
|
1,658 TEU | 1999 |
16.5
|
E |
| 1764 |
BG RED
IMO 9976965
|
1,400 TEU | 2024 |
16.6
|
E |
| 1765 |
CMA CGM BLOSSOM
IMO 9962524
|
1,096 TEU | 2023 |
16.6
|
E |
| 1766 |
CMA CGM KOUROU
IMO 9845659
|
2,200 TEU | 2020 |
16.6
|
E |
| 1767 |
DHANU
IMO 9122473
|
1,730 TEU | 2001 |
16.7
|
E |
| 1768 |
MEDKON MERSIN
IMO 9430040
|
704 TEU | 2008 |
16.7
|
E |
| 1769 |
GRANDE MAROCCO
IMO 9437907
|
800 TEU | 2010 |
16.7
|
E |
| 1770 |
GRANDE ANGOLA
IMO 9343156
|
1,318 TEU | 2008 |
16.7
|
E |
| 1771 |
MSC HOGGAR
IMO 9286449
|
858 TEU | 2004 |
16.8
|
E |
| 1772 |
WEC JAN STEEN
IMO 9354416
|
868 TEU | 2007 |
16.9
|
E |
| 1773 |
RMS TEAM
IMO 9282170
|
1,076 TEU | 2004 |
16.9
|
E |
| 1774 |
HALSTED
IMO 9337262
|
2,824 TEU | 2007 |
16.9
|
E |
| 1775 |
JAN
IMO 9477335
|
1,350 TEU | 2009 |
16.9
|
E |
| 1776 |
MARBURG
IMO 9387592
|
880 TEU | 2009 |
16.9
|
E |
| 1777 |
GRANDE SIERRA LEONE
IMO 9437945
|
800 TEU | 2011 |
17.0
|
E |
| 1778 |
MSC ELKE F
IMO 9318773
|
830 TEU | 2005 |
17.0
|
E |
| 1779 |
BURAK BAYRAKTAR
IMO 9260536
|
858 TEU | 2002 |
17.0
|
E |
| 1780 |
CONTSHIP JET
IMO 9348625
|
1,267 TEU | 2007 |
17.1
|
E |
| 1781 |
MICHIGAN
IMO 9437139
|
1,284 TEU | 2008 |
17.1
|
E |
| 1782 |
ALEXANDER B
IMO 9328649
|
1,200 TEU | 2006 |
17.1
|
E |
| 1783 |
FIONA
IMO 9149885
|
1,698 TEU | 1998 |
17.1
|
E |
| 1784 |
ALANA
IMO 9297589
|
862 TEU | 2004 |
17.1
|
E |
| 1785 |
REPUBBLICA DEL BRASILE
IMO 9138422
|
1,520 TEU | 1998 |
17.2
|
E |
| 1786 |
GRANDE GABON
IMO 9437933
|
800 TEU | 2011 |
17.3
|
E |
| 1787 |
BALTIC SHARK
IMO 9315032
|
868 TEU | 2004 |
17.4
|
E |
| 1788 |
ATLANTIC WEST
IMO 9396610
|
1,350 TEU | 2008 |
17.4
|
E |
| 1789 |
MSC ROMINA II
IMO 9449821
|
1,496 TEU | 2009 |
17.4
|
E |
| 1790 |
JONATHAN P
IMO 9357872
|
1,732 TEU | 2006 |
17.4
|
E |
| 1791 |
UNI-PHOENIX
IMO 9202170
|
1,206 TEU | 1998 |
17.5
|
E |
| 1792 |
MSC ORTOLAN II
IMO 9401685
|
1,740 TEU | 2009 |
17.5
|
E |
| 1793 |
BALLATA
IMO 9327578
|
1,100 TEU | 2006 |
17.5
|
E |
| 1794 |
YM INVENTIVE
IMO 9319105
|
1,805 TEU | 2007 |
17.5
|
E |
| 1795 |
MSC EDITH II
IMO 9169029
|
1,658 TEU | 1998 |
17.6
|
E |
| 1796 |
ELBWATER
IMO 9504073
|
1,036 TEU | 2012 |
17.6
|
E |
| 1797 |
CONTSHIP LEX
IMO 9346562
|
1,100 TEU | 2006 |
17.6
|
E |
| 1798 |
MEDKON CANAKKALE
IMO 9341964
|
698 TEU | 2007 |
17.6
|
E |
| 1799 |
AKACIA
IMO 9315020
|
868 TEU | 2004 |
17.7
|
E |
| 1800 |
ATLANTIC EXPRESS
IMO 9330850
|
1,100 TEU | 2007 |
17.7
|
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.