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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 451 |
OOCL FRANCE
IMO 9622617
|
13,200 TEU | 2011 |
5.9
|
B |
| 453 |
MSC BEIJING
IMO 9289099
|
8,034 TEU | 2005 |
5.9
|
B |
| 452 |
CMA CGM JULES VERNE
IMO 9454450
|
16,022 TEU | 2013 |
5.9
|
B |
| 457 |
TOLEDO TRIUMPH
IMO 9737486
|
13,870 TEU | 2017 |
5.9
|
B |
| 456 |
CAP SAN ARTEMISSIO
IMO 9633939
|
9,600 TEU | 2014 |
5.9
|
B |
| 458 |
MSC GIULIA
IMO 9770737
|
9,400 TEU | 2017 |
5.9
|
B |
| 455 |
CMA CGM ZHENG HE
IMO 9706906
|
17,859 TEU | 2015 |
5.9
|
B |
| 454 |
LUDWIGSHAFEN EXPRESS
IMO 9613018
|
13,000 TEU | 2014 |
5.9
|
B |
| 459 |
CAP SAN LAZARO
IMO 9717216
|
10,600 TEU | 2015 |
5.9
|
B |
| 460 |
MSC ARIANE
IMO 9484443
|
13,050 TEU | 2012 |
5.9
|
B |
| 461 |
MSC CAROLE
IMO 9785445
|
12,200 TEU | 2021 |
5.9
|
B |
| 462 |
MSC ALTAIR
IMO 9465277
|
13,100 TEU | 2012 |
5.9
|
B |
| 463 |
CSCL PACIFIC OCEAN
IMO 9695133
|
19,000 TEU | 2014 |
5.9
|
B |
| 466 |
COSCO ENGLAND
IMO 9516428
|
13,360 TEU | 2008 |
5.9
|
B |
| 465 |
NYK VEGA
IMO 9312781
|
9,012 TEU | 2006 |
5.9
|
B |
| 464 |
COSCO DENMARK
IMO 9516478
|
13,360 TEU | 2014 |
5.9
|
B |
| 467 |
MSC DANIELA
IMO 9399002
|
10,000 TEU | 2008 |
6.0
|
B |
| 468 |
MSC SIYA B
IMO 9793947
|
11,800 TEU | 2018 |
6.0
|
B |
| 469 |
MSC RAPALLO
IMO 9484455
|
13,050 TEU | 2011 |
6.0
|
B |
| 471 |
CAP SAN JUAN
IMO 9717204
|
10,600 TEU | 2015 |
6.0
|
B |
| 470 |
ELEONORA MAERSK
IMO 9321500
|
11,000 TEU | 2004 |
6.0
|
B |
| 472 |
MSC BERYL
IMO 9467392
|
12,400 TEU | 2010 |
6.0
|
B |
| 475 |
TOLTEN
IMO 9612870
|
8,000 TEU | 2012 |
6.0
|
B |
| 474 |
MSC BENEDETTA XIII
IMO 9465253
|
13,100 TEU | 2011 |
6.0
|
B |
| 473 |
CCNI ANGOL
IMO 9683867
|
9,000 TEU | 2015 |
6.0
|
B |
| 476 |
MAERSK CUNENE
IMO 9561485
|
4,496 TEU | 2011 |
6.0
|
B |
| 477 |
NAGOYA EXPRESS
IMO 9450428
|
8,600 TEU | 2010 |
6.0
|
B |
| 478 |
MSC CLORINDA
IMO 9484429
|
14,000 TEU | 2012 |
6.0
|
B |
| 480 |
LAEM CHABANG EXPRESS
IMO 9768007
|
10,100 TEU | 2018 |
6.0
|
B |
| 479 |
HAIPHONG EXPRESS
IMO 9778129
|
10,100 TEU | 2018 |
6.0
|
B |
| 481 |
EVER FAME
IMO 9850800
|
11,000 TEU | 2021 |
6.0
|
B |
| 483 |
HYUNDAI FAITH
IMO 9347554
|
8,600 TEU | 2008 |
6.0
|
B |
| 482 |
EVER TOP
IMO 9665619
|
13,800 TEU | 2014 |
6.0
|
B |
| 485 |
CMA CGM VOLGA
IMO 9705081
|
10,622 TEU | 2015 |
6.0
|
B |
| 484 |
MSC MADELEINE
IMO 9305702
|
9,100 TEU | 2006 |
6.0
|
B |
| 486 |
MSC ADONIS
IMO 9706310
|
9,288 TEU | 2015 |
6.0
|
B |
| 489 |
ULSAN EXPRESS
IMO 9613020
|
13,000 TEU | 2014 |
6.0
|
B |
| 488 |
MSC CRISTINA
IMO 9465241
|
13,100 TEU | 2011 |
6.0
|
B |
| 487 |
CAPE AKRITAS
IMO 9706190
|
11,000 TEU | 2016 |
6.0
|
B |
| 490 |
MAERSK FLORENCE
IMO 9969053
|
76,513 | 2021 |
6.1
|
B |
| 491 |
MSC MAGNUM VII
IMO 9252541
|
6,750 TEU | 2003 |
6.1
|
B |
| 492 |
KLEVEN
IMO 9085546
|
6,418 TEU | 1996 |
6.1
|
B |
| 500 |
EMMA MAERSK
IMO 9321483
|
11,000 TEU | 2004 |
6.1
|
B |
| 499 |
MUNDRA EXPRESS
IMO 9408865
|
9,954 TEU | 2011 |
6.1
|
B |
| 498 |
TENO
IMO 9447859
|
8,000 TEU | 2011 |
6.1
|
B |
| 497 |
CAP SAN SOUNIO
IMO 9633953
|
9,600 TEU | 2014 |
6.1
|
B |
| 496 |
ONE RESILIENCE
IMO 9952751
|
7,000 TEU | 2024 |
6.1
|
B |
| 495 |
CAP SAN MALEAS
IMO 9633941
|
9,600 TEU | 2014 |
6.1
|
B |
| 494 |
ZIM JADE
IMO 9968059
|
7,000 TEU | 2024 |
6.1
|
B |
| 493 |
ONE READINESS
IMO 9952684
|
7,000 TEU | 2023 |
6.1
|
B |
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.