VesselBot report highlights emissions gap across container shipping

VesselBot has released its latest quarterly report, “Decoding Maritime Emissions Q1 2026: Efficiency Under Pressure”, analysing emissions performance across 82,212 voyages completed by 6,187 container vessels during the first quarter of 2026.

The report examines emissions efficiency across vessel sizes, trade lanes, vessel age groups and carriers, highlighting major differences in operational performance throughout the container shipping sector.

According to the analysis, average Well-to-Wake emissions intensity across all voyages reached 208.2 g CO₂e per TEU-km during the quarter. Feeder vessels recorded the highest emissions intensity at 266 g CO₂e per TEU-km, while larger vessel categories operated at substantially lower levels.

The study also found that NeoPanamax and Very Large Container Ships accounted for just 6.6% of voyages but generated 41.3% of total transport work during the period. In contrast, feeder vessels carried out 64.5% of voyages while contributing only 27.7% of transport work, reflecting the operational characteristics of regional short-sea trades.

VesselBot noted significant emissions differences between carriers operating on the same trade routes, with performance influenced primarily by vessel deployment strategies, cargo utilisation and port-pair combinations rather than sailing speed alone.

The report further identified vessel utilisation as the strongest operational driver of emissions efficiency. Average utilisation ranged from 77% on the most efficient voyages to 51% on the least efficient ones. The most efficient voyages carried an average of 9,163 TEU, compared with the quarterly average of 2,597 TEU.

Constantine Komodromos said, “Real-time execution-grade maritime emissions data at the carrier, vessel, and port-pair level gives logistics teams the visibility needed to evaluate operational performance and optimize transportation decisions based on how shipments actually move rather than on generalized industry averages.”

He added, “As commercial and regulatory pressure intensifies, and geopolitical disruptions continue to reshape global supply chains, voyage-level intelligence is becoming essential not only for emissions reporting, but also for improving transportation efficiency, carrier selection, and supply chain resilience.”

According to VesselBot, the findings underline the growing importance of operational transparency and voyage-level emissions analysis as shipping companies and cargo owners face increasing environmental and regulatory pressure.