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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1351 |
MSC HELENA III
IMO 9219393
|
3,091 TEU | 2003 |
10.5
|
D |
| 1352 |
ELIZABETH
IMO 9246346
|
2,490 TEU | 2003 |
10.5
|
D |
| 1353 |
CMA CGM AFRICA ONE
IMO 9451915
|
3,600 TEU | 2010 |
10.5
|
D |
| 1354 |
HMM CEBU
IMO 9312418
|
2,478 TEU | 2005 |
10.5
|
D |
| 1355 |
MAERSK NORTHWOOD
IMO 9222118
|
2,530 TEU | 1999 |
10.5
|
D |
| 1356 |
AS CYPRIA
IMO 9315812
|
2,824 TEU | 2006 |
10.5
|
D |
| 1357 |
MSC LEVINA III
IMO 9330513
|
2,824 TEU | 2006 |
10.5
|
D |
| 1358 |
PORTSMOUTH
IMO 9302437
|
2,478 TEU | 2004 |
10.5
|
D |
| 1359 |
MATHILDE SCHULTE
IMO 9676709
|
2,300 TEU | 2015 |
10.6
|
D |
| 1360 |
CHIQUITA MERCHANT
IMO 9339583
|
2,500 TEU | 2007 |
10.6
|
D |
| 1361 |
HUTTON
IMO 9311787
|
2,700 TEU | 2006 |
10.6
|
D |
| 1362 |
NAVIOS DORADO
IMO 9431707
|
4,250 TEU | 2010 |
10.6
|
D |
| 1363 |
AS CHRISTIANA
IMO 9311799
|
2,700 TEU | 2006 |
10.6
|
D |
| 1364 |
MSC ELOISE
IMO 8917778
|
2,440 TEU | 1991 |
10.6
|
D |
| 1365 |
CMA CGM QUELIMANE
IMO 9367839
|
2,578 TEU | 2009 |
10.6
|
D |
| 1366 |
STADT DRESDEN
IMO 9320049
|
2,700 TEU | 2006 |
10.6
|
D |
| 1367 |
JOLLY CLIVIA
IMO 9444417
|
4,300 TEU | 2007 |
10.6
|
D |
| 1368 |
HYUNDAI HONGKONG
IMO 9305661
|
6,800 TEU | 2006 |
10.6
|
D |
| 1369 |
AS CONSTANTINA
IMO 9308390
|
2,700 TEU | 2005 |
10.6
|
D |
| 1370 |
NAVIOS AZURE
IMO 9324851
|
4,250 TEU | 2007 |
10.6
|
D |
| 1371 |
MSC NAISHA III
IMO 9307839
|
2,474 TEU | 2005 |
10.6
|
D |
| 1372 |
AITOLIKOS
IMO 9386483
|
4,360 TEU | 2009 |
10.6
|
D |
| 1373 |
MAERSK NADI
IMO 9386017
|
2,500 TEU | 2006 |
10.6
|
D |
| 1374 |
AS ANNE
IMO 9700251
|
2,200 TEU | 2016 |
10.6
|
D |
| 1375 |
AMALTHEA
IMO 9397913
|
4,178 TEU | 2009 |
10.6
|
D |
| 1376 |
ZHONG GU DONG HAI
IMO 9842322
|
1,908 TEU | 2019 |
10.6
|
D |
| 1377 |
MSC GRENADA III
IMO 9275373
|
2,246 TEU | 2003 |
10.6
|
D |
| 1378 |
BRUSSELS
IMO 9200691
|
5,618 TEU | 2000 |
10.6
|
D |
| 1379 |
MSC ZLATA R.
IMO 9227314
|
4,112 TEU | 2002 |
10.7
|
D |
| 1380 |
CMA CGM ABU DHABI
IMO 9802499
|
2,500 TEU | 2018 |
10.7
|
D |
| 1381 |
SC MONTREUX
IMO 9295414
|
4,132 TEU | 2005 |
10.7
|
D |
| 1382 |
ATLANTIC SKY
IMO 9670602
|
3,817 TEU | 2017 |
10.7
|
D |
| 1383 |
NAVIOS VERMILION
IMO 9324837
|
4,250 TEU | 2007 |
10.7
|
D |
| 1384 |
MAIRA
IMO 9203502
|
2,506 TEU | 2000 |
10.7
|
D |
| 1385 |
NAVIOS INDIGO
IMO 9324875
|
4,250 TEU | 2007 |
10.7
|
D |
| 1386 |
MAERSK AVON
IMO 9164275
|
1,092 TEU | 1999 |
10.7
|
D |
| 1387 |
GREEN HOPE
IMO 9629160
|
1,700 TEU | 2014 |
10.7
|
D |
| 1388 |
ROZA A
IMO 9126742
|
1,119 TEU | 1997 |
10.7
|
D |
| 1389 |
MARY SCHULTE
IMO 9694414
|
2,339 TEU | 2015 |
10.7
|
D |
| 1390 |
CORELLI
IMO 9126766
|
1,119 TEU | 1997 |
10.7
|
D |
| 1391 |
DELPHIS BOTHNIA
IMO 9763710
|
2,338 TEU | 2016 |
10.7
|
D |
| 1392 |
SASKIA A
IMO 9315927
|
2,824 TEU | 2007 |
10.7
|
D |
| 1393 |
MSC SPRING III
IMO 9316359
|
2,732 TEU | 2006 |
10.8
|
D |
| 1394 |
JPO PISCES
IMO 9297852
|
4,132 TEU | 2005 |
10.8
|
D |
| 1395 |
ARIANA A
IMO 9320142
|
2,700 TEU | 2005 |
10.8
|
D |
| 1396 |
LORI
IMO 9631125
|
3,610 TEU | 2013 |
10.8
|
D |
| 1397 |
MSC CAPRI
IMO 9154220
|
2,456 TEU | 1998 |
10.8
|
D |
| 1398 |
OOCL GUANGZHOU
IMO 9404869
|
4,578 TEU | 2010 |
10.8
|
D |
| 1399 |
CAPE ALTIUS
IMO 9848730
|
2,700 TEU | 2020 |
10.8
|
D |
| 1400 |
ECO MAESTRO
IMO 9985942
|
13,675 | 2024 |
10.8
|
D |
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.