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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1001 |
MSC BHAVYA V
IMO 9297876
|
5,018 TEU | 2005 |
7.7
|
C |
| 1003 |
MAERSK LAMANAI
IMO 9527051
|
8,700 TEU | 2013 |
7.7
|
C |
| 1002 |
MED AYDIN
IMO 9148025
|
2,908 TEU | 1997 |
7.7
|
C |
| 1006 |
CMA CGM CARL ANTOINE
IMO 9729087
|
9,400 TEU | 2017 |
7.7
|
C |
| 1008 |
SANTA URSULA
IMO 9430387
|
7,114 TEU | 2007 |
7.7
|
C |
| 1005 |
MSC INGRID
IMO 9181651
|
4,500 TEU | 1999 |
7.7
|
C |
| 1009 |
MSC DAISY
IMO 9295165
|
4,900 TEU | 2005 |
7.7
|
C |
| 1004 |
MSC SWEDEN VI
IMO 9231262
|
5,762 TEU | 2002 |
7.7
|
C |
| 1007 |
MAERSK LOTA
IMO 9526954
|
8,700 TEU | 2012 |
7.7
|
C |
| 1011 |
CMA CGM LISA MARIE
IMO 9729099
|
9,400 TEU | 2017 |
7.7
|
C |
| 1010 |
LITTLE MERMAID
IMO 9946245
|
1,800 TEU | 2022 |
7.7
|
C |
| 1012 |
MSC NAOMI
IMO 9704984
|
8,800 TEU | 2015 |
7.7
|
C |
| 1013 |
MSC SANTA MARIA
IMO 9290426
|
5,042 TEU | 2005 |
7.7
|
C |
| 1017 |
MOL ENDOWMENT
IMO 9333852
|
4,803 TEU | 2007 |
7.7
|
C |
| 1016 |
ZIM CHINA
IMO 9389382
|
4,275 TEU | 2008 |
7.7
|
C |
| 1015 |
MSC POLINA
IMO 9376141
|
2,500 TEU | 2008 |
7.7
|
C |
| 1014 |
CAUQUENES
IMO 9687552
|
9,326 TEU | 2015 |
7.7
|
C |
| 1018 |
BF HAMBURG
IMO 9332860
|
6,350 TEU | 2009 |
7.7
|
C |
| 1021 |
GSL SUSAN
IMO 9349617
|
4,363 TEU | 2008 |
7.7
|
C |
| 1020 |
CMA CGM FIDELIO
IMO 9299642
|
9,809 TEU | 2006 |
7.7
|
C |
| 1019 |
CMA CGM DOLPHIN
IMO 9322487
|
5,090 TEU | 2007 |
7.7
|
C |
| 1023 |
MSC MARIANNA
IMO 9226920
|
6,730 TEU | 2002 |
7.8
|
C |
| 1022 |
MSC ANSHIKA VI
IMO 9254848
|
5,680 TEU | 2003 |
7.8
|
C |
| 1025 |
CMA CGM EXEMPLARITY
IMO 9948229
|
6,874 TEU | 2023 |
7.8
|
C |
| 1024 |
MSC QINGDAO
IMO 9256470
|
7,731 TEU | 2004 |
7.8
|
C |
| 1026 |
ZIM VIETNAM
IMO 9244922
|
6,246 TEU | 2003 |
7.8
|
C |
| 1027 |
CMA CGM JACQUES JOSEPH
IMO 9729104
|
9,400 TEU | 2017 |
7.8
|
C |
| 1028 |
MSC JORDAN III
IMO 8918980
|
2,668 TEU | 1993 |
7.8
|
C |
| 1030 |
SAN DIEGO
IMO 9398412
|
7,500 TEU | 2010 |
7.8
|
C |
| 1029 |
MSC VILDA X
IMO 9146479
|
7,226 TEU | 1998 |
7.8
|
C |
| 1031 |
MSC CARMEN
IMO 9349813
|
4,860 TEU | 2008 |
7.8
|
C |
| 1032 |
MSC SHANGHAI V
IMO 9231822
|
4,800 TEU | 2002 |
7.8
|
C |
| 1033 |
POLAR ECUADOR
IMO 9786774
|
3,884 TEU | 2017 |
7.8
|
C |
| 1035 |
MSC MARGARITA
IMO 9238741
|
5,514 TEU | 2002 |
7.8
|
C |
| 1034 |
SANTA ISABEL MAERSK
IMO 9444728
|
7,090 TEU | 2007 |
7.8
|
C |
| 1038 |
MSC MANZANILLO V
IMO 9289960
|
5,060 TEU | 2005 |
7.8
|
C |
| 1037 |
EPAMINONDAS
IMO 9153862
|
6,690 TEU | 1998 |
7.8
|
C |
| 1039 |
MSC LAURA
IMO 9225665
|
6,750 TEU | 2002 |
7.8
|
C |
| 1036 |
MSC AGADIR
IMO 9619464
|
8,762 TEU | 2012 |
7.8
|
C |
| 1040 |
LODUR
IMO 9219381
|
3,100 TEU | 2003 |
7.8
|
C |
| 1041 |
MSC KERRY VII
IMO 9221815
|
6,446 TEU | 2001 |
7.8
|
C |
| 1042 |
MSC YANG R
IMO 9227285
|
3,744 TEU | 2002 |
7.9
|
C |
| 1043 |
LIVORNO EXPRESS
IMO 9610157
|
3,800 TEU | 2014 |
7.9
|
C |
| 1044 |
MAERSK PITTSBURGH
IMO 9342176
|
6,200 TEU | 2008 |
7.9
|
C |
| 1046 |
APL MINNESOTA
IMO 9350018
|
5,888 TEU | 2008 |
7.9
|
C |
| 1045 |
MSC HONG KONG V
IMO 9231810
|
4,800 TEU | 2002 |
7.9
|
C |
| 1048 |
HENRIKA SCHULTE
IMO 9535163
|
5,605 TEU | 2011 |
7.9
|
C |
| 1047 |
SHIJING
IMO 9348663
|
5,100 TEU | 2007 |
7.9
|
C |
| 1050 |
CMA CGM BETTER WAYS
IMO 9950557
|
6,963 TEU | 2023 |
7.9
|
C |
| 1049 |
HMM JAKARTA
IMO 9323522
|
6,763 TEU | 2007 |
7.9
|
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 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.