VesselBot’s Q2 report reveals a drop in global shipping emissions, but exposes a widening efficiency gap between modern, large vessels and older, regional ships.
The latest data from VesselBot provides a complex picture of global shipping emissions, as the maritime sector faces operational shifts, rising regulatory scrutiny, and mounting environmental pressure. In its newly released Q2 2025 report, Decoding Maritime Emissions: A Data-Driven Look at Emerging Patterns, VesselBot offers granular insights into how vessel age, size, build origin, and trade route shape carbon performance.
The report covers 72,516 voyages completed by 4,865 container ships between April and June 2025. Despite an 8% year-on-year increase in fleet size, total emissions fell 4.5% to 46.8 million tons. Voyage count dipped only slightly, down 0.3%, while emissions intensity improved, driven by higher vessel utilization and changing voyage characteristics.
“Carrier and vessel performance can vary widely over time, influenced by a range of commercial factors and trade lane dynamics,” said C. Komodromos, speaking on behalf of VesselBot. “Our in-depth analysis captures these shifts in real time, offering stakeholders a clearer, more accurate picture of overall market performance.”
Among the report’s standout findings is a sharp disparity in emissions efficiency across vessel classes. Feeder vessels, typically smaller and used for regional trades, had the highest average emissions intensity at 253.5 g CO₂e/TEU km, a figure 29% higher than the overall Q2 average. In contrast, Very Large Container Ships (VLCS) recorded intensities as low as 60.4, a 69% reduction relative to the average.
Route also plays a defining role. The Asia–North Europe trade, though responsible for the highest per-voyage emissions at 13,185 tons, exhibited the lowest intensity at just 57.35 g CO₂e/TEU km. It shows the superior efficiency of heavily loaded, long-haul voyages using modern, large vessels. Meanwhile, emissions-intense voyages (defined as >800 g CO₂e/TEU km) typically involved smaller, less utilized vessels averaging just 407 TEU.
Vessel age emerged as another key variable. Ships over 20 years old posted the worst efficiency, with average intensity reaching 234.7. In contrast, the youngest segment, vessels up to five years old, saw a 51% growth year-on-year, reflecting a rapid modernization of the fleet and demonstrating “improved environmental performance,” according to VesselBot.
The country of ship construction also proved influential. “The analysis reveals distinct performance characteristics,” the report notes, with South Korean-built vessels posting the lowest emissions intensities, thanks largely to their higher capacities and longer voyage distances. Chinese-built ships dominate the newbuild segment, comprising over half of all ships under five years old.
VesselBot’s latest findings reveal that while the shipping industry is making measurable progress in reducing overall emissions, the gap between high- and low-performing vessels is widening. Efficiency gains are largely concentrated among newer, larger ships operating on long-haul routes, while older and smaller vessels, especially in regional trades, continue to emit disproportionately. As regulatory and financial pressures mount, the industry must confront this imbalance head-on. Meaningful decarbonization will depend not only on celebrating top performers but also on addressing inefficiencies across the fleet through targeted policies, smarter incentives, and greater operational transparency.
Link to VesselBot’s Q2 Report: Decoding Maritime Emissions: A Data-Driven Look at Emerging Patterns.
