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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1501 |
VALENCIA EXPRESS
IMO 9108130
|
2,400 TEU | 1996 |
11.8
|
D |
| 1502 |
MSC FALCON III
IMO 9299032
|
2,478 TEU | 2004 |
11.9
|
D |
| 1503 |
BAHRI ABHA
IMO 9620944
|
364 TEU | 2013 |
11.9
|
D |
| 1504 |
MSC CLAUDIA
IMO 9113446
|
1,205 TEU | 1996 |
11.9
|
D |
| 1505 |
SEATRADE GREEN
IMO 9810915
|
2,268 TEU | 2019 |
11.9
|
D |
| 1506 |
ANTIBES EXPRESS
IMO 9243186
|
3,237 TEU | 2002 |
11.9
|
D |
| 1507 |
VENTO DI SCIROCCO
IMO 9305908
|
1,560 TEU | 2003 |
11.9
|
D |
| 1508 |
UBENA
IMO 9690078
|
2,268 TEU | 2016 |
11.9
|
D |
| 1509 |
MIEKE SCHULTE
IMO 9694426
|
2,339 TEU | 2015 |
11.9
|
D |
| 1510 |
CHIQUITA TRADER
IMO 9304760
|
2,490 TEU | 2005 |
12.0
|
D |
| 1511 |
CHARM C
IMO 9383259
|
2,500 TEU | 2009 |
12.0
|
D |
| 1512 |
CMA CGM DAVAO
IMO 9347293
|
1,819 TEU | 2008 |
12.0
|
D |
| 1513 |
CMA CGM RED
IMO 9690107
|
2,259 TEU | 2016 |
12.0
|
D |
| 1514 |
ECO LEVANT
IMO 9985954
|
13,684 | 2024 |
12.0
|
D |
| 1515 |
NORA MAERSK
IMO 9192478
|
2,240 TEU | 2000 |
12.1
|
D |
| 1516 |
SHIBA
IMO 9270646
|
2,200 TEU | 2010 |
12.1
|
D |
| 1517 |
ESCAPE
IMO 9491501
|
1,349 TEU | 2011 |
12.1
|
D |
| 1518 |
KUMASI
IMO 9220859
|
2,226 TEU | 2001 |
12.1
|
D |
| 1519 |
CMA CGM ORANGE
IMO 9690092
|
2,259 TEU | 2016 |
12.2
|
D |
| 1520 |
BAHRI YANBU
IMO 9626534
|
1,009 TEU | 2014 |
12.2
|
D |
| 1521 |
MSC LEA II
IMO 9162643
|
1,733 TEU | 2000 |
12.2
|
D |
| 1522 |
CMA CGM LEBU
IMO 9443463
|
4,250 TEU | 2010 |
12.2
|
D |
| 1523 |
SC HOUSTON
IMO 9445904
|
2,758 TEU | 2010 |
12.2
|
D |
| 1524 |
SONGA WOLF
IMO 9373498
|
1,732 TEU | 2007 |
12.2
|
D |
| 1525 |
TEOMAN A
IMO 9226504
|
2,452 TEU | 2001 |
12.3
|
D |
| 1526 |
AS SAVANNA
IMO 9387451
|
1,713 TEU | 2009 |
12.3
|
D |
| 1527 |
MERATUS JAYAWIJAYA
IMO 9305881
|
2,474 TEU | 2005 |
12.3
|
D |
| 1528 |
MSC NIKOLETA II
IMO 9232644
|
1,730 TEU | 2002 |
12.3
|
D |
| 1529 |
NORDTIGER
IMO 9626247
|
1,700 TEU | 2014 |
12.3
|
D |
| 1530 |
MSC KATALIN II
IMO 9232656
|
1,730 TEU | 2002 |
12.3
|
D |
| 1531 |
ADMIRAL GALAXY
IMO 9365843
|
1,849 TEU | 2008 |
12.4
|
D |
| 1532 |
PUERTO LIMON EXPRESS
IMO 9434943
|
2,550 TEU | 2009 |
12.4
|
D |
| 1533 |
MAERSK NEWBURY
IMO 9231470
|
2,550 TEU | 1999 |
12.4
|
D |
| 1534 |
EA GANNET
IMO 9937476
|
1,528 TEU | 2022 |
12.4
|
D |
| 1535 |
EGY SKY
IMO 9366483
|
1,147 TEU | 2007 |
12.4
|
D |
| 1536 |
CONTAINERSHIPS ARCTIC
IMO 9818400
|
1,368 TEU | 2015 |
12.4
|
D |
| 1537 |
SEABOARD GARDENIA
IMO 9673630
|
1,700 TEU | 2014 |
12.4
|
D |
| 1538 |
CONTAINERSHIPS POLAR
IMO 9814002
|
1,368 TEU | 2019 |
12.4
|
D |
| 1539 |
MSC SINES R
IMO 9210098
|
3,430 TEU | 2001 |
12.4
|
D |
| 1540 |
PENANG BRIDGE
IMO 9470753
|
1,708 TEU | 2009 |
12.4
|
D |
| 1541 |
KAPTAN AYTAC A
IMO 9242302
|
1,150 TEU | 2001 |
12.4
|
D |
| 1542 |
SANTA MARTA EXPRESS
IMO 9446104
|
2,550 TEU | 2010 |
12.4
|
D |
| 1543 |
MSC SUN F
IMO 9223904
|
984 TEU | 2003 |
12.4
|
D |
| 1544 |
GERHARD SCHULTE
IMO 9328481
|
3,400 TEU | 2006 |
12.4
|
D |
| 1545 |
EA NODDY
IMO 9937488
|
1,500 TEU | 2023 |
12.5
|
D |
| 1546 |
A. OBELIX
IMO 9354674
|
1,700 TEU | 2008 |
12.5
|
D |
| 1547 |
IRENES RESOLVE
IMO 9227273
|
3,799 TEU | 2001 |
12.5
|
D |
| 1548 |
AS ANITA
IMO 9470961
|
1,970 TEU | 2010 |
12.5
|
D |
| 1549 |
ECO ZEPHYR
IMO 9985978
|
13,665 | 2024 |
12.5
|
D |
| 1550 |
AS PETRONIA
IMO 9286786
|
2,556 TEU | 2004 |
12.5
|
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.