Container carriers operating on the same trade lanes recorded emissions-intensity differences of up to 35% in the third quarter of 2026, according to a latest analysis by VesselBot.
The study examined 83,817 voyages by 6,730 container vessels, assessing deployment patterns, cargo utilisation, sailing distances and time spent at sea and in port. Across four major fronthaul routes, the gap between the most and least efficient carriers ranged from 20% to 35%.
Fleet-wide Well-to-Wake emissions intensity remained broadly stable at 235.1 grams of CO₂ equivalent per TEU-kilometre, up 0.5% year-on-year. Total emissions declined 1.9% to 55.5 million tonnes, while transport work increased 1.2% to 712 billion TEU-kilometres.
On the Asia-Europe trade, Evergreen recorded the lowest emissions intensity among the carriers compared, at 47.4 grams of CO₂ equivalent per TEU-kilometre, around 17% below the route average. Its vessels carried an average of 20,400 TEU per voyage at 96% utilisation, despite recording the highest absolute emissions among the three carriers examined.
Five of six vessel-size categories improved their emissions intensity, with Very Large Container Ships recording the strongest reduction of 12.9%. Feeder vessels, which accounted for 65% of tracked voyages, saw intensity rise 1.3% to 285.9 grams per TEU-kilometre, limiting overall fleet-wide improvements.
The study also found that the return of container ships to the Suez Canal had yet to significantly reduce Asia-Europe voyage durations. Although 166 medium and large vessels transited the canal during the quarter, compared with 16 a year earlier, average voyage times remained at 33.2 days to Northern Europe and 29.7 days to the Mediterranean.
VesselBot attributed the findings to continued Cape of Good Hope routing, alongside variations in vessel utilisation and port stays. Average port time on the Northern Europe–North America East Coast trade increased 52.1% to 2.1 days.
The analysis combines AIS vessel-tracking data with vessel-specific digital twin models to estimate fuel consumption and Well-to-Wake emissions at voyage level, highlighting how vessel deployment and cargo utilisation influence shipping efficiency.