Maritime transport of goods - quarterly data

Data extracted in December 2015. Most recent data: Further Eurostat information, Main tables and Database. Planned update: March 2016

This article presents the main results from quarterly statistics on maritime transport of goods in the European Union (EU), plus figures for Iceland, Norway and Turkey. It covers the gross weight of goods handled in the main European ports, by type of cargo, direction, reporting country and various partner maritime geographical areas. These data are complemented by maritime transport flows with the main extra-EU partners, and with individual results for the major European ports.

The article contains data for the 1st quarter of 2015 and a first estimate for the 2nd quarter of 2015. Please note that:

  • The quarterly port activity figures are provisional and subject to revisions.
  • The quarterly data for French ports in this article have been partially estimated by Eurostat.
Table 1: Gross weight of seaborne goods handled in EU-28 main ports
Source: Eurostat - Maritime transport - Goods mar_go
Figure 1: Gross weight of seaborne goods handled in EU-28 main ports
Source: Eurostat - Maritime transport - Goods mar_go
Figure 2: First estimate for the 2nd quarter 2015 - Gross weight of seaborne goods handled in EU-28 main ports
Source: Eurostat - Maritime transport - Goods mar_go
Table 2: Gross weight of seaborne goods handled in EU-28 main ports, broken down by direction
Source: Eurostat - Maritime transport - Goods mar_go


Table 3: Gross weight of seaborne goods handled in EU-28 main ports, broken down by type of cargo
Source: Eurostat - Maritime transport - Goods mar_go
Table 4: Gross weight of seaborne goods handled in European main ports, broken down by reporting country
Source: Eurostat - Goods mar_go
Table 5: Gross weight of seaborne goods handled in EU-28 main ports, broken down by various types of partner geographical areas
Source: Eurostat - Maritime transport - Goods mar_go
Table 6: Top 10 extra-EU-28 partner countries in maritime transport by gross weight of goods handled (inwards + outwards) in EU-28 main ports during the 1st quarter 2015
Source: Eurostat - Maritime transport - Goods mar_go
Table 7: Top 20 extra-EU-28 maritime transport trades by gross weight of goods handled in EU-28 main ports during the 1st quarter 2015
Source: Eurostat - Maritime transport - Goods mar_go
Table 8: Top 5 European ports by gross weight of goods handled during the 1st quarter 2015, for total cargo
Source: Eurostat - Maritime transport - Goods mar_go
Table 9: Top 5 European ports by gross weight of goods handled during the 1st quarter 2015, for liquid bulk goods
Source: Eurostat - Maritime transport - Goods mar_go
Table 10: Top 5 European ports by gross weight of goods handled during the 1st quarter 2015, for dry bulk goods
Source: Eurostat - Maritime transport - Goods mar_go
Table 11: Top 5 European ports by gross weight of goods handled during the 1st quarter 2015, for large containers
Source: Eurostat - Maritime transport - Goods mar_go
Table 12: Top 5 European ports by gross weight of goods handled during the 1st quarter 2015, for Ro-Ro mobile units
Source: Eurostat - Maritime transport - Goods mar_go
Table 13: Top 5 European ports by gross weight of goods handled during the 1st quarter 2015, for other general cargo nes
Source: Eurostat - Maritime transport - Goods mar_go
Table 14: Top 5 European ports by volume of containers handled during the 1st quarter 2015
Source: Eurostat - Maritime transport - Goods mar_go

Main statistical findings

At 932 million tonnes, the gross weight of goods handled in the main EU-28 ports decreased by 0.7 % in the 1st quarter of 2015 compared with the previous quarter (as presented in Table 1 and Figure 1). Compared with the 1st quarter of 2014, however, the EU-28 port activity increased 2.4 %. When adding up the figures for the four quarters ending in the 1st quarter of 2015, the data show an overall increase in European port activity of 2.3 % compared with the previous four quarters ending in the 1st quarter of 2014.

The first estimate for the 2nd quarter of 2015 (as presented in Figure 2) indicates that the underlying growth trend continued into the first half of the year. The gross weight of goods handled in the main EU-28 ports is estimated at 947 million tonnes in the 2nd quarter of 2015, an increase of 0.8 % compared with the same quarter of 2014. When comparing the four quarters ending in the 2nd quarter of 2015 with the previous four quarters, the rolling four-quarter growth rate is estimated at 2.1 %.

Despite the underlying growth trend, the gross weight of goods handled in the main EU-28 ports in the 1st and 2nd quarters of 2015 were still lower than the volumes handled before the start of the economic downturn in Europe (in the 1st and 2nd quarters of 2008, respectively).

EU ports activity

By direction, type of cargo, reporting country, main partner geographical area

Inwards movements of goods made up close to 60 % of the total volume of goods handled in the main EU-28 ports in the 1st quarter of 2015, about the same as in the previous quarter. However, while the inwards movements decreased by 1 % compared with the last quarter of 2014, the outwards movements of goods decreased slightly less in the same period (Table 2).

Except for ‘Other general cargo’, the 1st quarter of 2015 saw decreases in the volumes of all types of cargo handled in the main EU ports compared with the previous quarter. By the size of the decline, the tonnages of dry bulk goods fell by 5.9 %, containerised goods by 2.1 %, Ro-Ro mobile units by 0.5 % and liquid bulk by 0.1 % in this period. In contrast, the tonnages of other general cargo increased by 20.6 % (Table 3).

The Netherlands, the United Kingdom (UK), Italy and Spain were the largest maritime freight transport countries in Europe in the 1st quarter of 2015, all handling more than 100 million tonnes of goods in their main ports (Table 4). While the Netherlands and Italy both recorded substantial increases in port activity compared with the previous quarter, Spain and the UK both saw declines in the handling of goods in their main ports.

All in all, fifteen of the maritime EU member states reported decreases in the total tonnages of goods handled in their main ports in the 1st quarter of 2015 compared with the previous quarter, while eight of the maritime member states reported growth. In relative terms, the largest decreases were recorded in Bulgaria, Estonia, Croatia, Lithuania and Romania, all reporting drops of more than 10 % in port activity from the previous quarter. In contrast, Denmark, Cyprus, Latvia and Malta reported increases of more than 7 % in the same period (Table 4).

The main extra-EU partners

Deep sea shipping tonnages to and from the main EU-28 ports fell by 5.5 % in the 1st quarter of 2015 compared with the previous quarter, with short sea shipping tonnages only decreasing by 0.2 %. Within the short sea shipping, however, a substantial decline in international intra-EU transport was offset by a substantial growth in national maritime transport.

The decrease in deep sea shipping was mainly due to the substantial decrease in seaborne transport to and from America (North and South). In consequence, the reported international extra-EU transport by sea decreased by 3.7 %. In contrast, transport to and from European countries outside the EU increased by 1.9 % between the 4th quarter of 2014 and the1st quarter of 2015. It should however be noted that all these figures may be influenced by the quite substantial increase in the reported transport to and from unknown geographical zones (Table 5).

In terms of total gross weight of goods, Russia was the EU’s largest maritime transport partner in the1st quarter of 2015, followed by the USA, Norway, China, Brazil, Turkey and Egypt (Table 6). A substantial share of this Russian seaborne transport is made up of export of liquid bulk goods to the main EU ports, particularly crude oil and oil products from the Black Sea and Baltic Sea ports of Russia (Table 7).

Compared with the previous quarter, there were substantial increases in inwards movements to EU ports of crude oil from Turkey, from the Baltic Sea and Black Sea ports of Russia and from Nigeria, as well as in outwards movements of oil products to Singapore. Inwards tonnages of coal from the Baltic Sea ports of Russia also increased between the 4th quarter of 2014 and 1st quarter of 2015. In contrast, the same period saw substantial decreases in outwards movements of containers to China and oil products to the East Coast of the USA, as well as in inwards movements of coal from the North Coast of Colombia and crude oil from Norway (Table 7).

Top European ports

All of the top 5 ports in Europe recorded increases in port activity in the 1st quarter of 2015 compared with the previous quarter. Europe’s largest port, Rotterdam in the Netherlands, handled 107 million tonnes of goods in the 1st quarter of 2015, an increase of 2.2 % from the 4th quarter of 2014. The port of Amsterdam in the Netherlands reported a noticeable increase of 15.7 % in the same period (Table 8). Please note that the Eurostat figures for Amsterdam include data for the neighbouring ports of Velsen and Ijmuiden.

Rotterdam was the major European port for all but one type of cargo in the 1st quarter of 2015, the exception being Ro-Ro mobile units. Compared with the previous quarter, Rotterdam recorded increases in the tonnages of liquid bulk goods (+8.2 %), containerised goods (+3.7 %) and of dry bulk goods (+1.8 %), while the tonnages of other general cargo decreased by 1.1 % (Tables 9-13). In the same period, Amsterdam recorded a substantial increase in the tonnages of liquid bulk (+11.7 %) and a slight decrease in dry bulk (-2.7 %).

In the same period, the port of Antwerpen in Belgium recorded an increase in the containerised tonnages (+4.9 %) and a decrease in the tonnages of liquid bulk (-3.7 %). The port of Hamburg in Germany saw a large increase in dry bulk goods compared with the previous quarter (+10.8 %) and a slight decrease in containerised goods (-1.9 %). In the Spanish port of Algeciras, the tonnages of containerised goods decreased by -6.4 % compared with the previous quarter.

Among other main ports, the port of Botas in Turkey recorded an increase in the tonnages of liquid bulk goods (+7 %) compared with the previous quarter, while the port of Iskenderun, Hatay in Turkey saw a decrease of 4.1 % in the tonnages of dry bulk goods. The port of Riga in Latvia recorded a decrease of 5.6 % in tonnages of dry bulk in the same period (Table 11).

Dover in the UK remained the largest European Ro-Ro port, handling 7.1 million tonnes of goods on Ro-Ro mobile units in the 1st quarter of 2015, an increase of 5.6 % from the previous quarter. On the other side of the Channel, the French port of Calais saw an increase of 2 % in the tonnages of Ro-Ro goods in the same period (Table 12).

Data sources and availability

The content of this statistical article is based on data collected within the framework of the EU maritime transport statistics Directive 2009/42/EC on statistical returns in respect of carriage of goods and passengers by sea.

EU-28 aggregates refer to the total of 23 maritime Member States. The Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Hungary, Austria and Slovakia have no maritime ports. Norway and Iceland provide Eurostat with data as members of the European Economic Area (EEA). However, for Iceland data are currently not available. The EEA country Liechtenstein has no maritime ports. Turkey provides data on a voluntary basis as a candidate country.

“Main ports” are ports handling more than 1 million tonnes of goods annually (however, data for some smaller ports may be included in the published results). Data are presented at level of “statistical ports”. A statistical port consists of one or more ports, normally controlled by a single port authority, able to record ship and cargo movements.

All tables are based on ports total (inward + outward) declarations. The results represent the "handling" of goods in ports.

“Short sea shipping” aggregate (in Table 5) includes the partner ports situated in geographical Europe, on the Mediterranean and Black Seas. “Deep sea shipping” is the complementary geographical aggregate. A more extensive definition of “short sea shipping” is available in the article Maritime transport statistics - short sea shipping of goods.

The concept of maritime transport trade (in Table 7) is defined using the following three variables:

  1. Direction: “inward” transport is distinguished from “outward” transport.
  2. Partner geographical area: usually this corresponds to one country, with the exception of countries of such a size and/or geographical position that the location of individual ports may be quite different and may have a strong impact on the maritime route followed. For example, the ports of the USA are grouped in two geographical areas: "East coast" (including Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Great Lakes and Puerto Rico) and "West coast" (Pacific).
  3. Type of cargo: the following thirteen cargo types are used in Table 8: liquefied gas, crude oil, oil products, other liquid bulk goods, ores, coal, agricultural products, other dry bulk goods, large containers, Ro-Ro mobile units, forestry products, iron/steel products and other general cargo. The first four types constitute "liquid bulk", the subsequent four types "dry bulk", and the last three types "other general cargo not elsewhere specified", as presented in Tables 3 and 9 to 13.

Abbreviations

  • ":" not available
  • "-" not applicable
  • Mio million
  • Nes not elsewhere specified 
  • Ro-Ro Roll-on/roll-off
  • TEU Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit

Quarterly data are in general provisional. Revisions may be made by countries as more complete information becomes available or as a result of quality checks. More specifically, when the complete set of annual data emerges, this usually involves some revision to quarterly data for some countries. This applies particularly to the quarterly estimates of port traffic by type of cargo, which are less robust than the annual totals.

Annual data as presented in this publication are the “rolling” four quarter totals, ending in the latest quarter and the corresponding four quarters for earlier years. As a result, the four quarters included do not necessarily come from the same calendar year. For example, the "Annual" growth rate in Figure 2 shows the percentage change for the four quarters ending Q1 2015 compared to the four quarters ending Q1 2014.

The basic results (in million tonnes; in thousand TEUs) and the derived indicators (growth rates) shown in the tables are rounded. However they are all based on the non-rounded original data, as available in Eurostat's database.

Specific remarks for this publication for data up to and including the 1st quarter 2015:

  • A first estimate for the following quarter is included in Figure 2 in this publication. The first estimate is based on data provided by the reporting countries in the same way as the ordinary maritime transport statistics. However, the quality checks on the underlying data have yet to be completed for all countries. Thus, the estimated figures may be subject to a higher level of revision than the statistics for the other quarters in this publication.
  • The quarterly data for port activity in France have been partially estimated by Eurostat for the period 2009 Q1-2015 Q1. They are to be considered as provisional and are likely to be revised. In general, these estimates reduce the accuracy of the statistics at the detailed level.
  • The quarterly figures for the port of Amsterdam include data for the ports of Velsen and Ijmuiden.
  • Starting from 2013 Q1, the quarterly figures for Germany include data for all national ports (both main ports and minor ports).
  • Starting from 2013 Q1, the quarterly figures for Sweden include data for all national ports (both main ports and minor ports).
  • Starting from 2011 Q1, the quarterly figures for Spain include data for a number of regional ports outside the state-controlled port system.

Due to revisions of the underlying data, figures in this article may differ from figures currently or previously available on Eurostat's web site.

Context

The content of this statistical article is based on data collected within the framework of the EU maritime transport statistics Directive 2009/42/EC of 6 May 2009 on statistical returns in respect of carriage of goods and passengers by sea), which is a recast of the original Council Directive 95/64/EC of 8 December 1995.

The basic legal act (Directive 2009/42/EC) was amended by:

The following legal acts include respectively the last official version of the list of ports and some dissemination aspects:

See also

Further Eurostat information

Publications

Database

Maritime transport (mar)
Maritime transport - main annual results (mar_m)
Maritime transport - short sea shipping - main annual results (mar_s)
Maritime transport - passengers (mar_pa)
Maritime transport - goods (mar_go)
Maritime transport - vessel traffic (mar_tf)
Maritime transport - regional statistics (mar_rg)

Dedicated section

Methodology / Metadata

Other information

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