Carriers on one lane differ 31.3% on emissions, VesselBot finds

Market Context & Direct Impact

VesselBot finds a 31.3% emissions-intensity gap between two carriers on one ocean lane. In Q2 2026, Hapag-Lloyd averaged 80.7 grams CO2e per TEU-km and MSC 117.5 grams on the Northern Europe to North America East Coast trade, where the trade average reached 138 grams. The spread holds although voyage distances and port pairs were similar, which points to how each carrier runs its voyages rather than to route length. That suggests a trade-average emissions factor can hide a single carrier's real footprint.

Lane scope limits what this figure can tell a Latin American shipper. VesselBot's lanes cover China and East Asia to Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, the North American West Coast, and Northern Europe to the North America East Coast, so none of them is a Latin American trade. Smart Freight Centre says its 2025 ocean container emissions figures follow the Clean Cargo methods, with 18 carriers reporting that cover more than 85% of global ocean container capacity by volume. Its India default values, published 30 June 2026, are meant to be read with GLEC Framework v3.1. Neither source names Tropical Shipping, King Ocean, Seaboard Marine or Crowley, the carriers this desk tracks in the region.

Core Executive Takeaways

• Carrier data beats averagesVesselBot's 31.3% spread suggests a trade-average factor can understate or overstate one carrier's footprint.
• Lane scope checkVesselBot's Q2 2026 lanes exclude Latin American trades, so the figure is no regional benchmark for Mexico, Central America or the Caribbean.
• Method version trackingSmart Freight Centre pairs its June 2026 India values with GLEC Framework v3.1, so each factor needs its version recorded.

Strategic Playbook

1. 1
   Request carrier-level intensity

   Ask each ocean carrier on your Latin American lanes for per-voyage well-to-wake intensity in g CO2e per TEU-km, and the method behind it.

2. 2
   Log factor versions

   Record which factor set and version (Clean Cargo or GLEC Framework v3.1 default values) sits behind each lane, so 2026 disclosures stay comparable.

Filed 21:26 GMT, 2 November 2026, for the third edition of 2 Nov.
As agents only.

Sources

1. VesselBot finds 31% emissions-intensity gap between carriersContainer News, published 30 August 2026
2. 2025 SFC Airline ESG Survey | Benchmarking ReportSmart Freight Centre, published 12 June 2026
3. India Default GHG Emission Values V1.0 – Complementing GLEC Framework v3.01Smart Freight Centre, published 30 June 2026

Claims ledger: 9 facts and where each comes from

• VesselBot reports a 31.3% emissions-intensity gap between Hapag-Lloyd and MSC voyages on the same ocean trade lane.¹
• Average Well-to-Wake emissions intensity on the Northern Europe to North America East Coast trade reached 138 grams CO2e per TEU-km, in the second quarter of 2026.¹
• Hapag-Lloyd recorded 80.7 grams CO2e per TEU-km on that trade, and MSC recorded 117.5 grams.¹
• VesselBot says the 31.3% gap appeared despite similar voyage distances and port pairs, and attributes the difference to how voyages were executed.¹
• VesselBot's trade lanes cover China and East Asia to Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, the North American West Coast, and Northern Europe to the North America East Coast.¹
• Smart Freight Centre says the emission performance in its 2025 ocean container report is calculated according to the Clean Cargo methods.²
• For 2025, 18 carriers reported to Clean Cargo, and they carried more than 85% of global ocean container freight capacity by volume.²
• Smart Freight Centre published India Default GHG Emission Values V1.0 on 30 June 2026, with India-specific emission intensity values for road and rail.³
• The India values are to be read in conjunction with the GLEC Framework v3.1.³

Every figure above is tied to a cited source that was checked on the day of filing. Found an error? Tell the desk.