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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 353 |
MSC MIA
IMO 9839466
|
22,000 TEU | 2019 |
4.8
|
A |
| 352 |
EVER APEX
IMO 9893979
|
23,764 TEU | 2022 |
4.8
|
A |
| 351 |
MSC OLIVER
IMO 9703306
|
18,400 TEU | 2015 |
4.8
|
A |
| 354 |
ONE FRUITION
IMO 9934371
|
15,000 TEU | 2023 |
4.8
|
A |
| 355 |
MSC CAMILLE
IMO 9404651
|
13,300 TEU | 2009 |
4.8
|
A |
| 358 |
SAVANNAH EXPRESS
IMO 9665607
|
13,800 TEU | 2013 |
4.8
|
A |
| 357 |
CMA CGM AMBITION
IMO 9951551
|
7,600 TEU | 2024 |
4.8
|
A |
| 356 |
CMA CGM ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT
IMO 9454448
|
16,020 TEU | 2013 |
4.8
|
A |
| 361 |
MSC SERENA
IMO 1013169
|
139,647 | 2025 |
4.8
|
A |
| 360 |
SEASPAN BREEZE
IMO 9685358
|
10,100 TEU | 2014 |
4.8
|
A |
| 359 |
CMA CGM KERGUELEN
IMO 9702132
|
17,722 TEU | 2015 |
4.8
|
A |
| 362 |
MSC ERICA
IMO 9755191
|
15,909 TEU | 2016 |
4.8
|
A |
| 363 |
YM TOTALITY
IMO 9860922
|
12,690 TEU | 2020 |
4.8
|
A |
| 364 |
VANCOUVER EXPRESS
IMO 9667186
|
13,800 TEU | 2014 |
4.9
|
A |
| 366 |
MSC GULSUN
IMO 9839430
|
22,000 TEU | 2019 |
4.9
|
A |
| 365 |
LOS ANGELES EXPRESS
IMO 9665633
|
13,800 TEU | 2014 |
4.9
|
A |
| 367 |
EVER GOODS
IMO 9810991
|
20,000 TEU | 2018 |
4.9
|
A |
| 368 |
COSCO SHIPPING ARIES
IMO 9783497
|
20,000 TEU | 2018 |
4.9
|
A |
| 370 |
HMM AQUAMARINE
IMO 9944479
|
13,248 TEU | 2024 |
4.9
|
A |
| 369 |
EVER ART
IMO 9893943
|
23,764 TEU | 2022 |
4.9
|
A |
| 372 |
EVER AIM
IMO 9893917
|
23,764 TEU | 2021 |
4.9
|
A |
| 371 |
BALTIMORE EXPRESS
IMO 9665621
|
13,800 TEU | 2014 |
4.9
|
A |
| 375 |
COSCO SHIPPING SOLAR
IMO 9795646
|
21,000 TEU | 2019 |
4.9
|
A |
| 377 |
MSC FRANCESCA
IMO 9401116
|
11,336 TEU | 2008 |
4.9
|
A |
| 374 |
LINAH
IMO 9708801
|
15,000 TEU | 2015 |
4.9
|
A |
| 378 |
EVER MERCY
IMO 9935325
|
15,500 TEU | 2024 |
4.9
|
A |
| 373 |
MSC BARI
IMO 9461441
|
14,000 TEU | 2011 |
4.9
|
A |
| 376 |
MSC NELA
IMO 9839296
|
22,000 TEU | 2019 |
4.9
|
A |
| 379 |
AL ZUBARA
IMO 9708875
|
18,691 TEU | 2015 |
4.9
|
A |
| 383 |
YM WARRANTY
IMO 9757228
|
13,870 TEU | 2019 |
4.9
|
A |
| 382 |
EVER ATOP
IMO 9893993
|
24,004 TEU | 2022 |
4.9
|
A |
| 381 |
APL FULLERTON
IMO 9632026
|
13,892 TEU | 2014 |
4.9
|
A |
| 380 |
EVER ACE
IMO 9893890
|
23,764 TEU | 2021 |
4.9
|
A |
| 384 |
EVER ALP
IMO 9893929
|
23,992 TEU | 2021 |
4.9
|
A |
| 387 |
APL VANDA
IMO 9631993
|
17,292 TEU | 2013 |
4.9
|
A |
| 386 |
MSC HAMBURG
IMO 9647461
|
16,652 TEU | 2015 |
4.9
|
A |
| 385 |
OAKLAND EXPRESS
IMO 9667174
|
13,800 TEU | 2014 |
4.9
|
A |
| 388 |
CMA CGM GEORG FORSTER
IMO 9702144
|
17,722 TEU | 2015 |
4.9
|
A |
| 389 |
HMM GREEN
IMO 9998468
|
100,902 | 2025 |
4.9
|
A |
| 391 |
CMA CGM JEAN MERMOZ
IMO 9776420
|
20,600 TEU | 2018 |
4.9
|
A |
| 390 |
MSC PANTERA
IMO 9975557
|
101,078 | 2024 |
4.9
|
A |
| 395 |
YM TRIUMPH
IMO 9860908
|
12,690 TEU | 2020 |
4.9
|
A |
| 394 |
MAERSK CAMBRIDGE
IMO 9924182
|
15,500 TEU | 2022 |
4.9
|
A |
| 393 |
EVER ARM
IMO 9893931
|
23,992 TEU | 2022 |
4.9
|
A |
| 392 |
HYUNDAI MARS
IMO 9725122
|
10,055 TEU | 2016 |
4.9
|
A |
| 400 |
MSC MARSEILLE
IMO 9975595
|
101,078 | 2025 |
5.0
|
A |
| 399 |
BRUSSELS EXPRESS
IMO 9708784
|
15,000 TEU | 2014 |
5.0
|
A |
| 398 |
COSCO SHIPPING PISCES
IMO 9789647
|
19,000 TEU | 2019 |
5.0
|
A |
| 397 |
CMA CGM IRON
IMO 9996678
|
147,196 | 2025 |
5.0
|
A |
| 396 |
CHANG SHUN JIN XIU
IMO 9981776
|
49,306 | 2022 |
5.0
|
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 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.