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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2151 |
K-OCEAN
IMO 9143972
|
700 TEU | 1998 |
23.6
|
E |
| 2152 |
ELBCARRIER
IMO 9388510
|
974 TEU | 2007 |
23.7
|
E |
| 2153 |
CT ROTTERDAM
IMO 9395575
|
974 TEU | 2009 |
23.7
|
E |
| 2154 |
CANDELARIA B
IMO 9277395
|
822 TEU | 2003 |
23.7
|
E |
| 2155 |
ATLANTICO
IMO 9641314
|
880 TEU | 2014 |
23.8
|
E |
| 2156 |
HENRIKE SCHEPERS
IMO 9404091
|
803 TEU | 2008 |
23.8
|
E |
| 2157 |
X-PRESS GODAVARI
IMO 9353735
|
917 TEU | 2008 |
23.9
|
E |
| 2158 |
RIDER
IMO 9322566
|
804 TEU | 2006 |
23.9
|
E |
| 2159 |
FENJA
IMO 9287716
|
864 TEU | 2003 |
23.9
|
E |
| 2160 |
NANTO
IMO 9083043
|
749 TEU | 1994 |
24.0
|
E |
| 2161 |
ANDREA
IMO 9333357
|
868 TEU | 2005 |
24.0
|
E |
| 2162 |
BG IRELAND
IMO 9355446
|
850 TEU | 2007 |
24.1
|
E |
| 2163 |
BF CARODA
IMO 9297618
|
862 TEU | 2004 |
24.1
|
E |
| 2164 |
HELGAFELL
IMO 9306017
|
908 TEU | 2005 |
24.1
|
E |
| 2165 |
FREYA
IMO 9219874
|
658 TEU | 2000 |
24.2
|
E |
| 2166 |
BERNHARD SCHEPERS
IMO 9492505
|
1,036 TEU | 2011 |
24.2
|
E |
| 2167 |
GENCA
IMO 9307372
|
640 TEU | 2007 |
24.2
|
E |
| 2168 |
ILHA DA MADEIRA
IMO 9202077
|
712 TEU | 1999 |
24.2
|
E |
| 2169 |
MIRROR
IMO 9328041
|
804 TEU | 2007 |
24.3
|
E |
| 2170 |
EF AVA
IMO 9389306
|
698 TEU | 2008 |
24.3
|
E |
| 2171 |
ADMIRAL MOON
IMO 9437220
|
980 TEU | 2008 |
24.4
|
E |
| 2172 |
RIJNBORG
IMO 9355812
|
1,712 TEU | 2007 |
24.4
|
E |
| 2173 |
JORK RULER
IMO 9328027
|
804 TEU | 2006 |
24.4
|
E |
| 2174 |
NJORD
IMO 9349227
|
809 TEU | 2007 |
24.4
|
E |
| 2175 |
SANTUCA B
IMO 9287687
|
864 TEU | 2003 |
24.4
|
E |
| 2176 |
SAMSKIP INNOVATOR
IMO 9436214
|
803 TEU | 2011 |
24.5
|
E |
| 2177 |
MSC LENA F
IMO 9347762
|
916 TEU | 2006 |
24.5
|
E |
| 2178 |
PANDA 002
IMO 9328053
|
804 TEU | 2007 |
24.6
|
E |
| 2179 |
KRAFTCA
IMO 9307360
|
660 TEU | 2006 |
24.6
|
E |
| 2180 |
SPIRIT
IMO 9302255
|
809 TEU | 2005 |
24.7
|
E |
| 2181 |
VERONICA B
IMO 9436305
|
803 TEU | 2011 |
24.7
|
E |
| 2182 |
K-RIVER
IMO 9138355
|
700 TEU | 1997 |
24.8
|
E |
| 2183 |
MSC AMIHAN F
IMO 9449687
|
957 TEU | 2008 |
24.9
|
E |
| 2184 |
ENCOUNTER
IMO 9255775
|
750 TEU | 2004 |
24.9
|
E |
| 2185 |
EMILIA
IMO 9197521
|
700 TEU | 2010 |
24.9
|
E |
| 2186 |
ALEXANDER
IMO 9347798
|
916 TEU | 2006 |
25.1
|
E |
| 2187 |
ENFORCER
IMO 9255737
|
750 TEU | 2003 |
25.2
|
E |
| 2188 |
RANGER
IMO 9322542
|
804 TEU | 2005 |
25.2
|
E |
| 2189 |
ADMIRAL SUN
IMO 9437244
|
980 TEU | 2008 |
25.2
|
E |
| 2190 |
AURORA
IMO 9234989
|
868 TEU | 2001 |
25.2
|
E |
| 2191 |
MACARENA B
IMO 9277400
|
864 TEU | 2003 |
25.2
|
E |
| 2192 |
ELBSPRINTER
IMO 9349215
|
809 TEU | 2007 |
25.3
|
E |
| 2193 |
BF ESPERANZA
IMO 9252785
|
862 TEU | 2003 |
25.3
|
E |
| 2194 |
CONTSHIP IVY
IMO 9371402
|
925 TEU | 2007 |
25.4
|
E |
| 2195 |
MEDKON FUN
IMO 9308613
|
916 TEU | 2006 |
25.4
|
E |
| 2196 |
MAIKE D
IMO 9226372
|
660 TEU | 2000 |
25.4
|
E |
| 2197 |
LILA CANADA
IMO 9332717
|
1,118 TEU | 2006 |
25.4
|
E |
| 2198 |
ENERGY
IMO 9255787
|
750 TEU | 2004 |
25.4
|
E |
| 2199 |
SVEN-D
IMO 9302243
|
809 TEU | 2005 |
25.4
|
E |
| 2200 |
ELISABETH
IMO 9219862
|
658 TEU | 2000 |
25.5
|
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.