Most Emission-Efficient Bulk Carriers
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 (DWT) | Built | Carbon intensity — AER (g CO₂/dwt·nm) | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
VULCANIA
IMO 9718686
|
82,036 | 2015 |
1.4
|
A |
| 2 |
BO MAY
IMO 9980186
|
182,317 | 2025 |
1.6
|
A |
| 3 |
SAO OASIS
IMO 9840465
|
324,690 | 2021 |
1.6
|
A |
| 4 |
SAO PEARL
IMO 9840477
|
324,690 | 2021 |
1.6
|
A |
| 5 |
SAO UNISON
IMO 9841380
|
324,690 | 2022 |
1.6
|
A |
| 6 |
SHANDONG DE YUN
IMO 9872080
|
180,619 | 2020 |
1.7
|
A |
| 7 |
ORE SHANTOU
IMO 9847542
|
324,983 | 2020 |
1.7
|
A |
| 9 |
GARGANTUA
IMO 9712682
|
209,529 | 2015 |
1.8
|
A |
| 8 |
GCL THAMES
IMO 9966221
|
182,334 | 2023 |
1.8
|
A |
| 10 |
HENG MAY
IMO 9980174
|
181,500 | 2024 |
1.8
|
A |
| 11 |
SM GEMINI1
IMO 9841586
|
324,972 | 2020 |
1.8
|
A |
| 12 |
MOUNT ELBRUS
IMO 9945667
|
208,479 | 2021 |
1.8
|
A |
| 13 |
NORD STEEL
IMO 9966233
|
182,288 | 2019 |
1.9
|
A |
| 15 |
FJ ROSSA
IMO 9921611
|
182,345 | 2022 |
1.9
|
A |
| 14 |
BERGE CAUBVICK
IMO 9335848
|
229,045 | 2006 |
1.9
|
A |
| 16 |
SAMJOHN ARGONAUT
IMO 9745938
|
209,756 | 2014 |
1.9
|
A |
| 17 |
GOLDEN SWIFT
IMO 9702481
|
211,135 | 2016 |
1.9
|
A |
| 19 |
LAVINIA OLDENDORFF
IMO 9691931
|
207,562 | 2014 |
1.9
|
A |
| 18 |
SPRING HARMONY
IMO 9983578
|
182,498 | 2024 |
1.9
|
A |
| 20 |
SAO JOY
IMO 9824069
|
324,690 | 2020 |
1.9
|
A |
| 21 |
GRAND SAKURA
IMO 9913949
|
181,924 | 2021 |
1.9
|
A |
| 22 |
BOKM TIANJIN
IMO 9908607
|
324,922 | 2022 |
2.0
|
A |
| 24 |
SHINWA-MARU
IMO 9325295
|
297,541 | 2008 |
2.0
|
A |
| 23 |
CAPE OLYMPIA
IMO 9860491
|
182,882 | 2020 |
2.0
|
A |
| 25 |
HELGA OLDENDORFF
IMO 9713040
|
209,171 | 2016 |
2.0
|
A |
| 26 |
NAVIOS ALTAIR
IMO 9933092
|
182,115 | 2023 |
2.0
|
A |
| 27 |
KSL SALVADOR
IMO 9683271
|
180,958 | 2014 |
2.0
|
A |
| 28 |
GOODSHIP
IMO 9311476
|
177,536 | 2005 |
2.0
|
A |
| 31 |
ARIADNE
IMO 9721877
|
207,520 | 2016 |
2.0
|
A |
| 30 |
XH NINGBO
IMO 9948126
|
210,101 | 2023 |
2.0
|
A |
| 29 |
CAPE PLEASURE
IMO 9960124
|
182,096 | 2024 |
2.0
|
A |
| 32 |
ALPHA GALLANT
IMO 9747871
|
181,162 | 2016 |
2.0
|
A |
| 33 |
CAPE OWL
IMO 9729219
|
179,510 | 2016 |
2.0
|
A |
| 34 |
HEDWIG OLDENDORFF
IMO 9742728
|
209,239 | 2018 |
2.1
|
A |
| 35 |
FRIEDRICH OLDENDORFF
IMO 9889265
|
208,822 | 2020 |
2.1
|
A |
| 37 |
SHANDONG CIVILIZATION
IMO 9926415
|
210,963 | 2022 |
2.1
|
A |
| 36 |
CAPE SUN
IMO 9953573
|
182,436 | 2023 |
2.1
|
A |
| 38 |
CAPE KESTREL
IMO 9767510
|
181,267 | 2016 |
2.1
|
A |
| 39 |
SHANDONG FU YI
IMO 9748801
|
81,783 | 2019 |
2.1
|
A |
| 40 |
AWAJISAN MARU
IMO 9906805
|
181,994 | 2021 |
2.1
|
A |
| 41 |
CAPE ELIANTO
IMO 9938602
|
182,328 | 2022 |
2.1
|
A |
| 42 |
ORIENTAL EXPRESS
IMO 9346366
|
180,211 | 2006 |
2.1
|
A |
| 43 |
HT HUA SHAN
IMO 9468188
|
176,827 | 2009 |
2.1
|
A |
| 47 |
FRIENDSHIP
IMO 9410454
|
176,948 | 2009 |
2.1
|
A |
| 46 |
BERGE MAWSON
IMO 9738868
|
181,160 | 2015 |
2.1
|
A |
| 45 |
CAPE MERCURY
IMO 9943827
|
209,963 | 2023 |
2.1
|
A |
| 44 |
TRUE CHARIOT
IMO 9726774
|
182,571 | 2015 |
2.1
|
A |
| 48 |
SHANDONG NEW ERA
IMO 9910753
|
207,999 | 2022 |
2.2
|
A |
| 50 |
NAVIOS AMETHYST
IMO 9960148
|
182,212 | 2023 |
2.2
|
A |
| 49 |
AQUAJOY
IMO 9951111
|
182,082 | 2023 |
2.2
|
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 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.