The choice of carrier on a particular route can result in differences of up to 35% in emissions intensity on major container shipping routes, according to a new report by VesselBot.
The maritime technology firm’s report, Decoding Maritime Emissions, Q3 2026: Stable Intensity, Diverging Voyage Performance, examined 83,817 voyages undertaken by 6,730 container-carrying vessels, and found that the gap between the most and least efficient carriers ranged from 20% to 35%.
Despite these fluctuations, fleet-wide average Well-to-Wake (WtW) emissions intensity remained broadly stable, rising by 0.5% year-on-year to 235.1g CO₂e per TEU-kilometre.
Total emissions fell by 1.9% to 55.5 million tonnes of CO₂e.
Emissions performance
“An average emissions figure may tell us whether the overall market is improving or deteriorating, but it cannot explain what is happening on individual voyages,” commented Constantine Komodromos, Founder and CEO of VesselBot.
“In Q3, we observed relatively stable fleet-wide intensity alongside longer port stays and meaningful differences in carrier efficiency. By examining vessel deployment, actual sailing patterns, cargo utilisation and time spent at sea and in port, we can identify what drives those outcomes. For shippers, that distinction matters because emissions data should do more than support reporting. It should provide the evidence needed to evaluate carriers, understand operational inefficiencies and make better transportation decisions.”
According to VesselBot’s data, five out of six vessel-size categories improved their emissions intensity, with Panamax vessels seeing an improvement of 3.4%, while Very Large Container Ships (VLCS) improved by 12.9%.
Feeders, however, which accounted for two thirds (65%) of all voyages analysed, reported a 1.3% increase in emissions intensity.
Cargo utilisation
The report also highlighted the relationship between cargo utilisation and emissions efficiency, with VesselBot noting that voyages with emissions intensity below 50g CO₂e per TEU-kilometre averaged 80% utilisation, compared with 32% for voyages recording at least 800g.
‘On direct China/East Asia–Northern Europe voyages, Evergreen recorded the highest average emissions of the three carriers examined (14,273 tonnes CO₂e), yet achieved the lowest intensity, at 47.4 g CO₂e/TEU-km, about 17% below the trade average of 57.3,’ VesselBot added. ‘Its voyages carried 20,400 TEU on average at 96% utilisation. Assessing efficiency requires looking at cargo volume and operating conditions, not absolute emissions alone.’ Read more here.
