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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 752 |
SOFIA EXPRESS
IMO 9450404
|
8,600 TEU | 2010 |
7.2
|
B |
| 751 |
HUDSON EXPRESS
IMO 9349564
|
6,435 TEU | 2008 |
7.2
|
B |
| 755 |
MSC ANCHORAGE
IMO 9619440
|
8,762 TEU | 2013 |
7.2
|
B |
| 754 |
MSC INDIA
IMO 9231248
|
5,762 TEU | 2002 |
7.2
|
B |
| 753 |
MSC BHAVYA V
IMO 9297876
|
5,018 TEU | 2005 |
7.2
|
B |
| 756 |
HYUNDAI JAKARTA
IMO 9323522
|
6,763 TEU | 2007 |
7.2
|
B |
| 758 |
EPAMINONDAS
IMO 9153862
|
6,690 TEU | 1998 |
7.2
|
B |
| 757 |
HUMEN BRIDGE
IMO 9302164
|
8,212 TEU | 2007 |
7.2
|
B |
| 759 |
ILONA
IMO 9225641
|
6,750 TEU | 2001 |
7.2
|
B |
| 762 |
COLOMBO EXPRESS
IMO 9295244
|
8,235 TEU | 2005 |
7.2
|
B |
| 761 |
AL MANAMAH
IMO 9349538
|
6,435 TEU | 2008 |
7.2
|
B |
| 760 |
ZIM YANTIAN
IMO 9305582
|
9,383 TEU | 2006 |
7.2
|
B |
| 763 |
MAERSK LAMANAI
IMO 9527051
|
8,700 TEU | 2013 |
7.2
|
B |
| 766 |
MAERSK SEMBAWANG
IMO 9315226
|
5,648 TEU | 2007 |
7.2
|
B |
| 765 |
ONE HENRY HUDSON
IMO 9302176
|
8,212 TEU | 2008 |
7.2
|
B |
| 764 |
TOCONAO
IMO 9627899
|
8,704 TEU | 2013 |
7.2
|
B |
| 768 |
CMA CGM EXCELLENCE
IMO 9948217
|
6,963 TEU | 2023 |
7.2
|
B |
| 767 |
ACHELOOS
IMO 9972995
|
2,800 TEU | 2024 |
7.2
|
B |
| 771 |
MSC SARA ELENA
IMO 9702261
|
8,800 TEU | 2015 |
7.2
|
B |
| 770 |
COSCO SHIPPING VOLGA
IMO 9731925
|
9,092 TEU | 2017 |
7.2
|
B |
| 769 |
CAP SAN TAINARO
IMO 9633965
|
9,600 TEU | 2014 |
7.2
|
B |
| 772 |
MSC TUXPAN
IMO 9289972
|
5,060 TEU | 2005 |
7.2
|
B |
| 773 |
CMA CGM EXEMPLARITY
IMO 9948229
|
6,874 TEU | 2023 |
7.2
|
B |
| 774 |
ZIM YANGTZE
IMO 9954175
|
5,500 TEU | 2024 |
7.2
|
B |
| 778 |
MSC MICHAELA
IMO 9230488
|
6,730 TEU | 2002 |
7.2
|
B |
| 777 |
SANTA ROSA
IMO 9430363
|
7,114 TEU | 2007 |
7.2
|
B |
| 776 |
AL SAFAT
IMO 9349497
|
6,435 TEU | 2008 |
7.2
|
B |
| 775 |
MSC UBERTY VIII
IMO 9337444
|
8,241 TEU | 2008 |
7.2
|
B |
| 780 |
ONE HELSINKI
IMO 9588081
|
8,930 TEU | 2012 |
7.3
|
B |
| 779 |
WIKING
IMO 9708382
|
4,771 TEU | 2016 |
7.3
|
B |
| 781 |
MSC CLEA
IMO 9720524
|
9,411 TEU | 2016 |
7.3
|
B |
| 784 |
CMA CGM RABELAIS
IMO 9406635
|
6,570 TEU | 2010 |
7.3
|
B |
| 783 |
MSC PAMELA
IMO 9290531
|
9,200 TEU | 2005 |
7.3
|
B |
| 782 |
MSC JUSTICE VIII
IMO 9450351
|
8,400 TEU | 2010 |
7.3
|
B |
| 785 |
MSC MELISSA
IMO 9226918
|
6,730 TEU | 2002 |
7.3
|
B |
| 786 |
CMA CGM AMAZON
IMO 9706308
|
9,288 TEU | 2015 |
7.3
|
B |
| 787 |
AGIOS DIMITRIOS
IMO 9349605
|
6,500 TEU | 2011 |
7.3
|
B |
| 789 |
HENRIKA SCHULTE
IMO 9535163
|
5,605 TEU | 2011 |
7.3
|
B |
| 788 |
RHINE MAERSK
IMO 9456991
|
4,500 TEU | 2012 |
7.3
|
B |
| 793 |
MSC DARIEN
IMO 9243394
|
7,731 TEU | 2003 |
7.3
|
B |
| 792 |
MSC MAXINE
IMO 9720287
|
9,400 TEU | 2015 |
7.3
|
B |
| 791 |
LAURA MAERSK
IMO 9944546
|
2,100 TEU | 2023 |
7.3
|
B |
| 790 |
CZECH
IMO 9723241
|
9,040 TEU | 2015 |
7.3
|
B |
| 794 |
CMA CGM BETTER WAYS
IMO 9950557
|
6,963 TEU | 2023 |
7.3
|
B |
| 795 |
LONDON EXPRESS
IMO 9143568
|
4,612 TEU | 1998 |
7.3
|
B |
| 796 |
YOKOHAMA EXPRESS
IMO 9630418
|
10,100 TEU | 2015 |
7.3
|
B |
| 800 |
NYK VENUS
IMO 9312793
|
9,012 TEU | 2007 |
7.3
|
B |
| 799 |
GREEN PARK
IMO 9983449
|
2,954 TEU | 2024 |
7.3
|
B |
| 798 |
MSC FIAMMETTA
IMO 9369758
|
5,770 TEU | 2008 |
7.3
|
B |
| 797 |
MSC ENGLAND
IMO 9232890
|
4,132 TEU | 2001 |
7.3
|
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.