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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 952 |
KALAHARI EXPRESS
IMO 9400095
|
6,300 TEU | 2010 |
7.9
|
C |
| 951 |
CHENNAI EXPRESS
IMO 9306158
|
6,539 TEU | 2006 |
7.9
|
C |
| 950 |
MSC MARTA
IMO 9295385
|
5,599 TEU | 2005 |
7.9
|
C |
| 954 |
CMA CGM BIANCA
IMO 9436367
|
8,533 TEU | 2011 |
8.0
|
C |
| 957 |
SANTA ISABEL
IMO 9444728
|
7,090 TEU | 2007 |
8.0
|
C |
| 956 |
MAERSK LEON
IMO 9526966
|
8,700 TEU | 2012 |
8.0
|
C |
| 955 |
MSC SARYA III
IMO 9241451
|
2,478 TEU | 2003 |
8.0
|
C |
| 958 |
YM EVOLUTION
IMO 9496460
|
4,662 TEU | 2014 |
8.0
|
C |
| 962 |
MSC MANZANILLO
IMO 9289960
|
5,060 TEU | 2005 |
8.0
|
C |
| 961 |
EVER LIVING
IMO 9629031
|
8,488 TEU | 2013 |
8.0
|
C |
| 960 |
ROTTERDAM
IMO 9398450
|
9,262 TEU | 2010 |
8.0
|
C |
| 959 |
GSL TRIPOLI
IMO 9437048
|
5,303 TEU | 2009 |
8.0
|
C |
| 963 |
C HAMBURG
IMO 9450375
|
8,600 TEU | 2009 |
8.0
|
C |
| 964 |
GJERTRUD MAERSK
IMO 9320233
|
6,600 TEU | 2005 |
8.0
|
C |
| 966 |
SANTA TERESA
IMO 9430375
|
7,114 TEU | 2011 |
8.0
|
C |
| 965 |
EVER LEGION
IMO 9604110
|
8,000 TEU | 2010 |
8.0
|
C |
| 967 |
EXPRESS ROME
IMO 9484936
|
10,114 TEU | 2011 |
8.0
|
C |
| 968 |
JOLLY VERDE
IMO 9320441
|
4,860 TEU | 2007 |
8.0
|
C |
| 970 |
ANTWERP
IMO 9398448
|
9,262 TEU | 2009 |
8.0
|
C |
| 969 |
LARS MAERSK
IMO 9294379
|
4,300 TEU | 2004 |
8.0
|
C |
| 972 |
SFL HAWAII
IMO 9679555
|
6,845 TEU | 2014 |
8.0
|
C |
| 971 |
ORCA I
IMO 9318113
|
5,041 TEU | 2006 |
8.0
|
C |
| 975 |
MAERSK DENVER
IMO 9332999
|
6,188 TEU | 2007 |
8.0
|
C |
| 974 |
MAERSK NUBA
IMO 9356115
|
2,478 TEU | 2008 |
8.0
|
C |
| 976 |
VENTO DI GRECALE
IMO 9985045
|
24,000 | 2024 |
8.0
|
C |
| 973 |
ASTERIOS
IMO 9951135
|
1,800 TEU | 2023 |
8.0
|
C |
| 977 |
MSC HONG KONG V
IMO 9231810
|
4,800 TEU | 2002 |
8.1
|
C |
| 978 |
MSC ROSHNEY V
IMO 9337676
|
4,888 TEU | 2007 |
8.1
|
C |
| 979 |
OOCL SEOUL
IMO 9417244
|
8,063 TEU | 2010 |
8.1
|
C |
| 981 |
ARICA EXPRESS
IMO 9495765
|
4,600 TEU | 2013 |
8.1
|
C |
| 980 |
HYUNDAI TOKYO
IMO 9305673
|
6,800 TEU | 2006 |
8.1
|
C |
| 982 |
CONTI CHIVALRY
IMO 9293791
|
8,084 TEU | 2006 |
8.1
|
C |
| 983 |
CMA CGM COLUMBIA
IMO 9722663
|
9,894 TEU | 2015 |
8.1
|
C |
| 985 |
GSL TINOS
IMO 9437050
|
5,303 TEU | 2010 |
8.1
|
C |
| 984 |
VENTO DI MAESTRALE
IMO 9985021
|
24,457 | 2024 |
8.1
|
C |
| 987 |
MSC AZOV
IMO 9605255
|
9,400 TEU | 2014 |
8.1
|
C |
| 986 |
MSC KALAMATA VII
IMO 9244946
|
6,246 TEU | 2003 |
8.1
|
C |
| 988 |
MSC PAMIRA III
IMO 9239903
|
2,490 TEU | 2002 |
8.1
|
C |
| 989 |
SEASPAN HAMBURG
IMO 9224300
|
4,253 TEU | 2001 |
8.1
|
C |
| 990 |
JOLLY BIANCO
IMO 9320427
|
4,860 TEU | 2006 |
8.2
|
C |
| 991 |
PUSAN C
IMO 9307229
|
9,572 TEU | 2006 |
8.2
|
C |
| 992 |
COSTA RICA EXPRESS
IMO 9641235
|
6,900 TEU | 2013 |
8.2
|
C |
| 993 |
MSC SUEZ
IMO 8918978
|
2,668 TEU | 1993 |
8.2
|
C |
| 996 |
MSC SHRISTI
IMO 9293442
|
4,738 TEU | 2005 |
8.2
|
C |
| 995 |
MSC ANAHITA
IMO 9302085
|
5,642 TEU | 2006 |
8.2
|
C |
| 994 |
MSC ORNELLA
IMO 9281267
|
4,900 TEU | 2004 |
8.2
|
C |
| 997 |
CMA CGM PUGET
IMO 9248124
|
4,367 TEU | 2002 |
8.2
|
C |
| 1000 |
VISTULA MAERSK
IMO 9775737
|
3,600 TEU | 2018 |
8.2
|
C |
| 999 |
HAWK I
IMO 9960564
|
5,300 TEU | 2024 |
8.2
|
C |
| 998 |
MSC HUSUM III
IMO 9326835
|
2,556 TEU | 2006 |
8.2
|
C |
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.