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LNG carrier — emissions rankings

LNG carriers are a special case in emissions data: their cargo is also their fuel. Boil-off gas from the tanks feeds the engines, which gives modern ships remarkably clean CO₂ figures — but methane, not CO₂, is their real climate question, and it only partially shows in a CO₂-centred dataset.

The type's ranking mostly tracks propulsion generations: steam turbines (the veterans) at the inefficient end, diesel-electric DFDE mid-field, and the latest two-stroke ME-GA and X-DF ships at the top. Few fleets have modernised as fast — the global LNG carrier orderbook of the 2020s was the largest in history.

Verified data reported under the EU MRV regulation (source: EMSA / THETIS-MRV).

Most efficient: LNG carrier

Ranked by CO₂ emitted per tonne of cargo carried over one nautical mile — the metric that makes ships of different sizes comparable. Lower is better.

Biggest CO₂ emitters