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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 |
MSC STRAIT II
IMO 9351218
|
1,713 TEU | 2008 |
16.4
|
E |
| 1902 |
MSC ELKE F
IMO 9318773
|
830 TEU | 2005 |
16.4
|
E |
| 1903 |
MICHIGAN
IMO 9437139
|
1,284 TEU | 2008 |
16.5
|
E |
| 1904 |
THETIS D
IMO 9372274
|
1,425 TEU | 2009 |
16.5
|
E |
| 1905 |
MSC ALBA F
IMO 9499010
|
1,022 TEU | 2008 |
16.6
|
E |
| 1906 |
ONUR G.A
IMO 9238076
|
1,208 TEU | 2001 |
16.6
|
E |
| 1907 |
KARLA A
IMO 9297577
|
1,676 TEU | 2003 |
16.6
|
E |
| 1908 |
MSC ERMINIA III
IMO 9246346
|
2,490 TEU | 2003 |
16.7
|
E |
| 1909 |
ALANA
IMO 9297589
|
862 TEU | 2004 |
16.8
|
E |
| 1910 |
MED TEKIRDAG
IMO 9265598
|
1,100 TEU | 2003 |
16.8
|
E |
| 1911 |
DANIEL A
IMO 9238064
|
1,208 TEU | 2001 |
16.8
|
E |
| 1912 |
GRANDE FRANCIA
IMO 9246592
|
1,321 TEU | 2002 |
16.8
|
E |
| 1913 |
GRANDE TOGO
IMO 9465370
|
1,318 TEU | 2011 |
16.8
|
E |
| 1914 |
ATLANTIC NORTH
IMO 9236597
|
1,129 TEU | 2002 |
16.9
|
E |
| 1915 |
ANINA
IMO 9354351
|
1,008 TEU | 2006 |
16.9
|
E |
| 1916 |
NORDIC PORTO
IMO 9448671
|
1,085 TEU | 2011 |
17.0
|
E |
| 1917 |
MEDKON MIRA
IMO 9152911
|
1,150 TEU | 1998 |
17.0
|
E |
| 1918 |
ELBSUMMER
IMO 9386718
|
1,425 TEU | 2009 |
17.0
|
E |
| 1919 |
BURAK BAYRAKTAR
IMO 9260536
|
858 TEU | 2002 |
17.0
|
E |
| 1920 |
GRANDE SIERRA LEONE
IMO 9437945
|
800 TEU | 2011 |
17.0
|
E |
| 1921 |
MSC MARYLENA II
IMO 9169031
|
1,658 TEU | 1998 |
17.1
|
E |
| 1922 |
VICTORIA L
IMO 9430155
|
1,300 TEU | 2009 |
17.1
|
E |
| 1923 |
CMA CGM KAILAS
IMO 9339545
|
1,860 TEU | 2006 |
17.1
|
E |
| 1924 |
GRANDE MAROCCO
IMO 9437907
|
800 TEU | 2010 |
17.1
|
E |
| 1925 |
BG RED
IMO 9976965
|
1,400 TEU | 2024 |
17.2
|
E |
| 1926 |
HEINRICH EHLER
IMO 9372200
|
1,425 TEU | 2008 |
17.2
|
E |
| 1927 |
CMA CGM BLOSSOM
IMO 9962524
|
1,096 TEU | 2023 |
17.3
|
E |
| 1928 |
MSC RACHEL F
IMO 9212010
|
1,216 TEU | 2000 |
17.3
|
E |
| 1929 |
CMA CGM NOUADHIBOU
IMO 9376892
|
1,350 TEU | 2007 |
17.4
|
E |
| 1930 |
BG ORANGE
IMO 9964637
|
1,400 TEU | 2024 |
17.5
|
E |
| 1931 |
RMS ROSE
IMO 9318761
|
830 TEU | 2005 |
17.5
|
E |
| 1932 |
SKYVIEW
IMO 9358890
|
1,300 TEU | 2007 |
17.6
|
E |
| 1933 |
CMA CGM GULF EXPRESS
IMO 9239874
|
1,679 TEU | 2002 |
17.6
|
E |
| 1934 |
MERITO
IMO 9167942
|
1,104 TEU | 1998 |
17.6
|
E |
| 1935 |
EXPERT
IMO 9412529
|
880 TEU | 2010 |
17.6
|
E |
| 1936 |
MEDKON ANKA
IMO 9366469
|
1,147 TEU | 2007 |
17.7
|
E |
| 1937 |
WEC MONDRIAAN
IMO 9354363
|
868 TEU | 2006 |
17.7
|
E |
| 1938 |
ELBSTROM
IMO 9369007
|
974 TEU | 2008 |
17.7
|
E |
| 1939 |
GRANDE BUENOS AIRES
IMO 9253210
|
1,321 TEU | 2004 |
17.8
|
E |
| 1940 |
FIONA
IMO 9149885
|
1,698 TEU | 1998 |
17.8
|
E |
| 1941 |
BFR
IMO 9103386
|
652 TEU | 1995 |
17.8
|
E |
| 1942 |
GRANDE ANGOLA
IMO 9343156
|
1,318 TEU | 2008 |
17.9
|
E |
| 1943 |
BAKKAFOSS
IMO 9429194
|
880 TEU | 2009 |
17.9
|
E |
| 1944 |
WEC JAN STEEN
IMO 9354416
|
868 TEU | 2007 |
17.9
|
E |
| 1945 |
CACHALOT
IMO 9212022
|
1,216 TEU | 2000 |
18.0
|
E |
| 1946 |
HANNA
IMO 9376048
|
868 TEU | 2008 |
18.0
|
E |
| 1947 |
AKACIA
IMO 9315020
|
868 TEU | 2004 |
18.1
|
E |
| 1948 |
MEDKON MERSIN
IMO 9430040
|
704 TEU | 2008 |
18.1
|
E |
| 1949 |
ELBWATER
IMO 9504073
|
1,036 TEU | 2012 |
18.1
|
E |
| 1950 |
NETA A.
IMO 9412531
|
880 TEU | 2011 |
18.1
|
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.