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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 301 |
MSC DARIA
IMO 9927287
|
14,812 TEU | 2023 |
4.7
|
A |
| 302 |
YM WORTH
IMO 9704635
|
14,080 TEU | 2015 |
4.7
|
A |
| 303 |
ONE RELIABILITY
IMO 9952737
|
7,000 TEU | 2024 |
4.7
|
A |
| 305 |
HMM RAON
IMO 9869215
|
14,000 TEU | 2021 |
4.7
|
A |
| 304 |
APL MERLION
IMO 9632014
|
13,892 TEU | 2014 |
4.7
|
A |
| 307 |
ONE FRIENDSHIP
IMO 9934369
|
15,000 TEU | 2023 |
4.7
|
A |
| 306 |
ZENITH LUMOS
IMO 9864215
|
15,000 TEU | 2020 |
4.7
|
A |
| 308 |
SALAHUDDIN
IMO 9708796
|
15,000 TEU | 2015 |
4.7
|
A |
| 313 |
HMM DREAM
IMO 9637222
|
13,154 TEU | 2014 |
4.7
|
A |
| 312 |
CMA CGM INNOVATION
IMO 9951525
|
7,600 TEU | 2023 |
4.7
|
A |
| 314 |
HYUNDAI SATURN
IMO 9725146
|
10,055 TEU | 2016 |
4.7
|
A |
| 311 |
MSC INSA
IMO 1016666
|
139,641 | 2025 |
4.7
|
A |
| 315 |
MSC LE HAVRE
IMO 9975583
|
101,078 | 2025 |
4.7
|
A |
| 310 |
COSCO SHIPPING CAPRICORN
IMO 9783514
|
20,000 TEU | 2018 |
4.7
|
A |
| 309 |
MSC ADYA
IMO 9932921
|
15,600 TEU | 2024 |
4.7
|
A |
| 320 |
MSC CAMEROON
IMO 9974498
|
8,300 TEU | 2025 |
4.7
|
A |
| 322 |
AL MURABBA
IMO 9708837
|
15,000 TEU | 2015 |
4.7
|
A |
| 317 |
EVER ALLY
IMO 9975791
|
24,004 TEU | 2026 |
4.7
|
A |
| 316 |
MERETE MAERSK
IMO 9632064
|
18,270 TEU | 2014 |
4.7
|
A |
| 321 |
YM TUTORIAL
IMO 9792618
|
20,150 TEU | 2015 |
4.7
|
A |
| 319 |
METTE MAERSK
IMO 9632155
|
18,340 TEU | 2015 |
4.7
|
A |
| 318 |
MSC MICHELLE
IMO 9897016
|
23,656 TEU | 2021 |
4.7
|
A |
| 323 |
SAN MARCO MAERSK
IMO 9622215
|
9,669 TEU | 2013 |
4.7
|
A |
| 326 |
MSC IRENE
IMO 9399040
|
10,000 TEU | 2010 |
4.7
|
A |
| 325 |
SEASPAN BELLWETHER
IMO 9713363
|
10,100 TEU | 2015 |
4.7
|
A |
| 324 |
CMA CGM HERMES
IMO 9882499
|
15,000 TEU | 2021 |
4.7
|
A |
| 330 |
OOCL HONG KONG
IMO 9776171
|
21,413 TEU | 2017 |
4.7
|
A |
| 329 |
MSC BENIN
IMO 9974565
|
8,300 TEU | 2025 |
4.7
|
A |
| 328 |
MAERSK HAMBURG
IMO 9784312
|
15,282 TEU | 2018 |
4.7
|
A |
| 327 |
CMA CGM KIMBERLEY
IMO 9894973
|
15,000 TEU | 2021 |
4.7
|
A |
| 331 |
YM WONDROUS
IMO 9684677
|
14,080 TEU | 2015 |
4.7
|
A |
| 332 |
CMA CGM LOUIS BLERIOT
IMO 9776432
|
20,600 TEU | 2018 |
4.8
|
A |
| 333 |
COSCO SHIPPING SAGITTARIUS
IMO 9783473
|
17,327 TEU | 2018 |
4.8
|
A |
| 335 |
MARIBO MAERSK
IMO 9619969
|
18,270 TEU | 2014 |
4.8
|
A |
| 334 |
YM WHOLESOME
IMO 9704611
|
14,080 TEU | 2015 |
4.8
|
A |
| 336 |
ONE MUNCHEN
IMO 9706750
|
13,870 TEU | 2015 |
4.8
|
A |
| 339 |
MSC IVANA
IMO 9398371
|
11,700 TEU | 2008 |
4.8
|
A |
| 338 |
APL MIAMI
IMO 9597549
|
9,200 TEU | 2014 |
4.8
|
A |
| 337 |
EVER ACME
IMO 9943267
|
24,000 TEU | 2022 |
4.8
|
A |
| 340 |
EVER ARIA
IMO 9909132
|
23,888 TEU | 2022 |
4.8
|
A |
| 342 |
MSC TAYLOR
IMO 9932048
|
15,264 TEU | 2023 |
4.8
|
A |
| 341 |
YM TRAVEL
IMO 9878503
|
11,850 TEU | 2015 |
4.8
|
A |
| 346 |
SAN RAPHAEL MAERSK
IMO 9622253
|
9,669 TEU | 2014 |
4.8
|
A |
| 345 |
OOCL SCANDINAVIA
IMO 9776212
|
21,100 TEU | 2017 |
4.8
|
A |
| 344 |
CMA CGM CAPE COD
IMO 9938133
|
15,000 TEU | 2024 |
4.8
|
A |
| 343 |
ONE RECOMMENDATION
IMO 9952713
|
7,000 TEU | 2024 |
4.8
|
A |
| 350 |
MSC DITTE
IMO 9754953
|
19,224 TEU | 2016 |
4.8
|
A |
| 349 |
MAERSK CANYON
IMO 9924235
|
15,500 TEU | 2023 |
4.8
|
A |
| 348 |
YM WITNESS
IMO 9704609
|
14,080 TEU | 2015 |
4.8
|
A |
| 347 |
AL JMELIYAH
IMO 9732357
|
15,000 TEU | 2017 |
4.8
|
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.