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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
CMA CGM CAPE COD
IMO 9938133
|
15,000 TEU | 2024 |
2.2
|
A |
| 2 |
GDANSK EXPRESS
IMO 9943877
|
23,660 TEU | 2024 |
3.2
|
A |
| 3 |
HAMBURG EXPRESS
IMO 9943865
|
23,660 TEU | 2024 |
3.3
|
A |
| 4 |
OOCL FINLAND
IMO 9922536
|
24,188 TEU | 2024 |
3.4
|
A |
| 5 |
HANOI EXPRESS
IMO 9540132
|
23,660 TEU | 2023 |
3.4
|
A |
| 6 |
DAMIETTA EXPRESS
IMO 9543108
|
23,660 TEU | 2024 |
3.4
|
A |
| 7 |
MSC ROME
IMO 9964211
|
15,600 TEU | 2024 |
3.5
|
A |
| 8 |
SINGAPORE EXPRESS
IMO 9543093
|
23,660 TEU | 2024 |
3.5
|
A |
| 9 |
BERLIN EXPRESS
IMO 9540118
|
23,660 TEU | 2023 |
3.5
|
A |
| 10 |
OOCL ZEEBRUGGE
IMO 9908140
|
24,000 TEU | 2020 |
3.6
|
A |
| 11 |
HMM ALGECIRAS
IMO 9863297
|
23,000 TEU | 2020 |
3.6
|
A |
| 12 |
MANILA EXPRESS
IMO 9540120
|
23,660 TEU | 2023 |
3.6
|
A |
| 13 |
OOCL FELIXSTOWE
IMO 9922512
|
23,000 TEU | 2023 |
3.6
|
A |
| 15 |
OOCL VALENCIA
IMO 9922598
|
24,000 TEU | 2020 |
3.7
|
A |
| 14 |
ONE INTEGRITY
IMO 9933119
|
24,000 TEU | 2023 |
3.7
|
A |
| 16 |
HMM COPENHAGEN
IMO 9863302
|
23,000 TEU | 2020 |
3.7
|
A |
| 17 |
OOCL GDYNIA
IMO 9908102
|
24,188 TEU | 2023 |
3.7
|
A |
| 18 |
MSC PALERMO
IMO 9964223
|
15,600 TEU | 2024 |
3.7
|
A |
| 19 |
ONE INGENUITY
IMO 9933016
|
24,000 TEU | 2023 |
3.7
|
A |
| 21 |
ONE FANTASTIC
IMO 9936381
|
15,500 TEU | 2023 |
3.7
|
A |
| 20 |
MSC MARIACRISTINA
IMO 9968279
|
16,000 TEU | 2025 |
3.7
|
A |
| 22 |
MSC CALYPSO
IMO 9932036
|
15,264 TEU | 2023 |
3.7
|
A |
| 23 |
MSC CELESTINO MARESCA
IMO 9930040
|
24,100 TEU | 2023 |
3.8
|
A |
| 24 |
OOCL PORTUGAL
IMO 9922615
|
24,000 TEU | 2024 |
3.8
|
A |
| 25 |
ASTRID MAERSK
IMO 9948750
|
14,942 TEU | 2021 |
3.8
|
A |
| 28 |
MSC ANITA
IMO 9947146
|
16,000 TEU | 2024 |
3.8
|
A |
| 26 |
HMM SOUTHAMPTON
IMO 9868340
|
23,000 TEU | 2020 |
3.8
|
A |
| 27 |
OOCL TURKIYE
IMO 9908138
|
23,000 TEU | 2023 |
3.8
|
A |
| 30 |
ONE TRUTH
IMO 9773210
|
20,150 TEU | 2017 |
3.8
|
A |
| 29 |
HMM ROTTERDAM
IMO 9868338
|
23,000 TEU | 2020 |
3.8
|
A |
| 32 |
ONE FUTURE
IMO 9936393
|
15,500 TEU | 2024 |
3.9
|
A |
| 31 |
CMA CGM SORBONNE
IMO 9839210
|
22,448 TEU | 2021 |
3.9
|
A |
| 33 |
ONE INTELLIGENCE
IMO 9933121
|
24,000 TEU | 2023 |
3.9
|
A |
| 35 |
ONE FORWARD
IMO 9936422
|
15,500 TEU | 2024 |
3.9
|
A |
| 34 |
HMM DUBLIN
IMO 9863314
|
23,000 TEU | 2020 |
3.9
|
A |
| 36 |
HMM HAMBURG
IMO 9863338
|
23,000 TEU | 2020 |
3.9
|
A |
| 37 |
ALEXANDRA MAERSK
IMO 9948786
|
16,592 TEU | 2024 |
3.9
|
A |
| 38 |
BUSAN EXPRESS
IMO 9540144
|
23,660 TEU | 2024 |
3.9
|
A |
| 39 |
MSC THAIS
IMO 9957347
|
15,600 TEU | 2021 |
3.9
|
A |
| 40 |
ONE TRUST
IMO 9769283
|
20,170 TEU | 2017 |
3.9
|
A |
| 41 |
OOCL DENMARK
IMO 9922548
|
24,188 TEU | 2020 |
3.9
|
A |
| 43 |
AL DAHNA EXPRESS
IMO 9708825
|
18,691 TEU | 2016 |
3.9
|
A |
| 42 |
MSC MARIAGRAZIA
IMO 9964194
|
15,600 TEU | 2024 |
3.9
|
A |
| 45 |
MSC ILARIA
IMO 9962586
|
202,562 | 2024 |
3.9
|
A |
| 44 |
HMM LE HAVRE
IMO 9868314
|
23,000 TEU | 2020 |
3.9
|
A |
| 46 |
MAERSK CONAKRY
IMO 9525285
|
4,500 TEU | 2011 |
3.9
|
A |
| 47 |
MSC RAYA
IMO 9930052
|
24,100 TEU | 2023 |
3.9
|
A |
| 49 |
OOCL SWEDEN
IMO 9922603
|
24,000 TEU | 2024 |
4.0
|
A |
| 48 |
HMM STOCKHOLM
IMO 9868352
|
23,000 TEU | 2020 |
4.0
|
A |
| 50 |
HMM GDANSK
IMO 9863326
|
23,000 TEU | 2020 |
4.0
|
A |
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.