DZS (Croatian Bureau of Statistics)

Spatial Statistics Directorate

Transport Statistics Department

Branimirova 19, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Data on maritime transport include arrived and departed ships (in number of vessels and in gross tonnage of vessels), number of embarked and disembarked passengers and loaded and unloaded goods (in tonnes) and relate to activities in all public seaports in the Republic of Croatia. Maritime transport data refer to gross weight of goods (in tonnes), passenger movements (in number of passengers) as well as for vessel traffic (in number of vessels and in gross tonnage of vessels).

Maritime transport is the carriage of goods and passengers by sea-going vessels. The data are port statistics on loaded and unloaded goods in seaports, passengers embarked and disembarked and vessels traffic. Detailed information is collected on the type of cargo and passengers, geographical areas where the partner ports are located, type, size and nationality of ships.

Main concepts used in this domain are the following and for more information on the concepts and methodology, please consult the Reference Manual on Maritime Transport Statistics.

Port -A place having facilities for merchant ships to moor and to load and/or unload cargo or to disembark and/or embark passengers to or from vessels, usually directly to a pier.
Statistical Port -A statistical port consists of one or more ports, normally controlled by a single port authority, which is able to record ship, passenger and cargo movements.
Reporting Port -A statistical port for which statistics of inward and outward maritime transport flows are compiled.
Main port -A main port is a statistical port which has annual movements of no less than 200 000 passengers or recording more than one millions tonnes of cargo. For ports selected on the basis of only one of these cargo or passenger criteria, detailed statistics are required only for that transport.
Maritime coastal area (MCA) -A maritime coastal area is defined as a contiguous stretch of coastline, together with islands offshore. Within a country, an MCA is defined either in terms of one or more ranges of ports along its coastline, or in terms of the latitude and longitude of one or more sets of extremities of the coastal area. Riverbanks can be included. Normally the coastline of each country is allocated to a single maritime coastal area and the coastlines of more than one country may form a single maritime coastal area. There are some exceptions. For example, the USA is separated into a number of maritime coastal areas to cover its overall coastline. For some countries, two separate stretches of coastline may be counted as one maritime coastal area, as, for example, the Atlantic and Pacific coastlines of Mexico.
Carriage of goods and passengers by sea -The movement of goods and passengers using seagoing vessels, on voyage which are undertaken wholly or partly by sea. The scope of the Maritime Directive 2009/42/EC also includes goods:

1. Shipped to offshore installations;
2. Reclaimed from seabed and unloaded in ports.

Bunkers and stores supplied to vessels shall be excluded from the scope.

Seagoing vessel -Floating marine structure with one or more surface displacement hulls. In the context of the Directive, sea-going vessels are vessels other than those which navigate exclusively in inland waters or in waters within, or closely adjacent to, sheltered waters or areas where port regulations apply.
Nationality of registration of seagoing vessel (Flag state) -Every ship is entered in a registry (i.e. list) of ships. Registries are maintained by many countries, each having a set of rules regarding safety procedures, inspection schedules, manning numbers and nationalities for crew and officers, training requirements, etc. Ship-owners select which registry to use based on the balance between the relative cost implications of the rules of each registry and possible penalties from insurance assessments dependent on these rules.
Type of cargo - The type of cargo classification, set according to the UNECE - Codes for types of cargo, packages and packaging materials, Recommendation 21, Geneva, March 1986, describes how the goods are being transported in terms of the vessels being used and the port facilities required to handle them. It is therefore very different from the categories of goods classification.
Freight container -Special box to carry freight, strengthened and stackable and allowing horizontal or vertical transfers.

Swap bodies are excluded. Although without internal volume flats used in maritime transport should be considered to be a special type of container and therefore are included here. For a fuller description, reference should be made to ISO 668 and 1496. The related term "container cargo" refers to containers, with or without cargo, which are lifted on or off the vessels which carry them by sea.

Ro-Ro unit - This means wheeled equipment for carrying cargo, such as a truck, trailer or semi-trailer, which can be driven or towed onto a vessel. Port or ships' trailers are included in this definition. Classifications should follow United Nations ECE Recommendation No 21 'Codes for types of cargo, packages and packaging materials'. Live animals on the hoof are included. Vehicles being transported as cargo as opposed to a means of transport for freight are recorded in the separate headings of the Ro-Ro cargo classification, when they are rolled on or rolled off a vessel on their own wheels.
Ro-Ro cargo -This means goods, whether or not in containers, on Ro-Ro units, and Ro-Ro units, which are rolled on and off the vessels, which carry them by sea.
Gross weight of goods -The gross weight of each consignment is the weight of the actual goods together with the immediate packaging in which they are being transported from origin to destination, but excluding the tare weight of containers or Ro-Ro units (e.g. containers, swap bodies and pallets containing goods as well as road goods vehicles, wagons or barges carried on the vessel). This measure of quantity is different from that used in trade statistics, namely the net weight of goods and different from statistics collected on other transport modes where the tare weight is included. Where goods are transported in a road goods vehicle, in a container, or other intermodal transport unit, the gross weight of the goods does not include the tare weightof the transport unit.
Gross tonnage (GT) -This means the measure of the overall size of a ship determined in accordance with the provisions of the International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships, 1969.
Deadweight (DWT) – This means the difference in tonnes between the displacement of a ship on summer load-line in water with a specific gravity of 1,025 and the total weight of the ship, i.e. the displacement in tonnes of a ship without cargo, fuel, lubricating oil, ballast water, fresh water and drinking water in the tanks, usable supplies as well as passengers, crew and their possessions.
Passenger - Any person who makes a sea journey on a merchant ship. Service staff assigned to merchant ships is not regarded as passengers. Non-fare paying crewmembers travelling but not assigned and infants in arms are excluded.

Cruise passenger -This means a sea passenger making a sea journey on a cruise ship. Passengers on day excursions are excluded.

Cruise ship -This means a passenger ship intended to provide passengers with a full tourist experience. All passengers have cabins. Facilities for entertainment aboard are included. Ships operating normal ferry services are excluded, even if some passengers treat the service as a cruise. In addition, cargo-carrying vessels able to carry a very limited number of passengers with their own cabins are also excluded. Ships intended solely for day excursions are also excluded.
Cruise passenger excursion -This means a short visit by a cruise passenger to a tourist attraction associated with a port while retaining a cabin on board.

Statistical units are all ships under domestic and foreign flags that arrived in or departed from the seaports in the Republic of Croatia, regardless of the activity they perform in the seaport.

Data are collected from all seaports in the Republic of Croatia opened for public traffic of ships, passengers and goods.

In quarterly datasets provided to Eurostat detailed data are provided for ports handling more than one million tonnes of goods or recording more than 200 000 passenger movements annually (Main ports). For other ports summary data are provided annually. 

All seaports in the Republic of Croatia opened for public traffic of ships, passengers and goods.

Datasets are transmitted to Eurostat since 2004 onwards.

Not applicable.

The units used depend on the variables collected: gross weight of goods expressed in tonnes, number of passengers, number of vessels.

TEUs: Twenty feet equivalent units, expressed in units. TEU calculation coefficients:
• 20-ft freight units (1 TEU)
• 40-ft freight units (2 TEU)
• Freight units over 20-ft and under 40-ft in length (1.5 TEU)
• Freight units over 40-ft long (2.25 TEU).

Maritime data are collected and produced monthly and transmitted to Eurostat as quarterly datasets A1, A2, C1, D1, F1 and F2 five months after the reference quarter and annually for datasets A3, B1 and E1 eight months after the reference year. 

National Level:

• Official Statistics Act (Official Gazette, No. 25/20)
• Programme of Statistical Activities of the Republic of Croatia
• Annual Implementation Plan of Statistical Activities of the Republic of Croatia
• Methodological basics for the statistical survey Traffic in seaports (Official Gazette No. 20/13)

European Level:

• The statistics on maritime transport are collected within the framework of within Directive 2009/42/EC and Commission Decision 2008/861/EC, as amended by Commission Decision 2010/216/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 April 2010, by Regulation 1090/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 November 2010 and by Commission Delegated Decision 2012/186/EU of 3 February 2012.

The dissemination is based on the terms of Commission Decision 2001/423/EC on arrangements for publication or dissemination of the statistical data collected pursuant to Council Directive 95/64/EC on statistical returns in respect of carriage of goods and passengers by sea.

Not applicable.

National level:

• Official Statistics Act (OG, No. 25/20.)
• Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council on European statistics
• Commission Decision No 2001/423/EC of 22 May 2001 on arrangements for publication or dissemination of the statistical data collected pursuant to Council Directive 95/64/EC on statistical returns in respect of carriage of goods and passengers by sea
• Ordinance on the access to confidential statistical data
• Ordinance on Conditions and Terms of Using Confidential Statistical Data for Scientific Purposes

European level:

(recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.

In multidimensional tables the highest level of detail in which data may be published or disseminated is the level of port to and from partner country.

Article 4 of Commission Decision 2001/423/EC mention that: "the highest level of detail in which data may be published or disseminated is the level of port to and from maritime coastal area. The Commission may however publish at more aggregate level if the quality and/or completeness of information are not appropriate in such detail."

Calendar of Statistical Data Issues contains the review of publications planned to be issued in current year and by the end of May for next year, which depends on when the processing of a particular statistical survey can be finished and on whether it is feasible to make a particular kind of publication or not. 

Calendar of Statistical Data Issues 2023 

In line with the Community legal framework and the European Statistics Code of Practice Croatian Bureau of Statistics disseminates statistics on traffic in seaports respecting professional independence and in an objective, professional and transparent manner in which all users are treated equitably.

Maritime transport statistics first results are published quarterly 45 days after the reference quarter and annual publication of detailed data 8 months after the end of reference year.

The First Release "Traffic in Seaports" – quarterly data

Aggregated quarterly data at the level of the Republic of Croatia on the total number of arrival of ships, number of passengers and tonnes of goods, data on traffic of goods and passengers in selected seaports as well as embarked and disembarked passenger vehicles.

The First Release "Traffic in Seaports" – quarterly data

PC-Axis Database, Transport and Communications, Traffic in Seaports

The conditions under which certain users can access microdata are regulated by The Ordinance on the Conditions and Manner of Use of Statistical Data for Scientific Purposes.

Statistics in Line – monthly data on ships, passenger and goods traffic at the level of the Republic of Croatia, annual detailed data on arrived ships, traffic of passengers and goods by type, size and flag of the vessel, by type of traffic, by countries, by type of goods and type of cargo.

Statistical Information – annual data on traffic of passengers and goods

Publications with corresponding methodological explanations available at www.dzs.hr, prepared for the data collection at national level.

There is also countries' dedicated section in the Reference Manual on Maritime Transport Statistics (Part III National Methodologies) available.

The data on quality are stored in the CBS database of quality information (DBQI).

The main tool for the systematic quality assessment and quality management is the CBS database on quality information (DBQI). The DBQI has in first stage the Basic analytical tool for comparative analyses of quality indicators and later will contain Advanced analytical tool for comparative analyses of quality indicators.

An organisational structure and tools are in place to deal with quality. There are procedures in place to plan, monitor and improve the quality of the statistical processes. Procedures based on quality reporting are in place to internally monitor product quality. Results are analysed regularly and improving actions are undertaken, if needed (for example after obtaining annual summary results and mirror checks reports from Eurostat). There is a regular and thorough review of the key statistical outputs.

The key users of maritime transport data are state institutions, enterprises, research and scientific community, journalists etc.

Users’ satisfaction survey is not conducted.

The survey covers all the variables prescribed by legal acts.

Administrative data source is Croatian integrated maritime information system (CIMIS), which was created as a national single window to facilitate the delivery of information to all relevant govenment bodies in the process of arrival/departure of ship. The assumption is that the system with a quality data coverage and overall accuracy serves as the best source for statistical survey.

Through the application of statistical methods in the processing and analysis of data the high quality of data is achieved.

Not applicable for maritime transport data collection.

Non-sampling error appears in the forms of measurement error and processing error.

Overcoverage is the inclusion of vessels whose length is less than 12 meters and a gross tonnage less than 15 GT, or those authorised to carry less than 12 passengers.

Assessment of overcoverage is made on the basis of the number of reports on arrivals/departures of ships whose gross tonnage is less than 15 GT and which have neither a call sign, nor IMO number, nor national identification number on the basis of which it is possible to check their length or carrying capacity of passengers.

During the statistical analysis of administrative data source, a data verification according to algorithms for particular types of errors is conducted. For verification purposes, a matrix containing 48 conditions for checking and controlling data has been set. Out of the total number of conditions, 36 are related to the errors that cannot be tolerated and 12 are warnings that are checked and tolerated.

Quarterly data should be transmitted by Member States to Eurostat within five months of the end of the period of observation; annual data within eight months. The Commission (Eurostat) shall disseminate appropriate statistical data with a periodicity comparable to that of the results transmitted (Directive 2009/42/EC).

All datasets are delivered to Eurostat within deadlines specified in the Directive 2009/42/EC.

Since the statistical survey is fully harmonized with the statistical standards in the European Union: the Directive 2009/42/EC of the European Parliament and the Council (Recast) on statistical returns in respect of carriage of goods and passengers by sea as well as with all its amending regulations and as the common concepts and rules are applied, as well as in other Member States, it is possible to compare the statistical data between the Republic of Croatia and other Member States.

Comparable data harmonized with the statistical standards in the European Union and the Directive 2009/42/EC of the European Parliament and the Council (Recast) on statistical returns in respect of carriage of goods and passengers by sea are available since 2004. 

Monthly results on traffic of passenger in seaports are partly comparable with the monthly results on maritime cross-border traffic of passengers. Variables for comparison: entry of passengers on maritime cross-borders and arrived passengers in international traffic in seaports.

During statistical data processing there are basic intra-record controls and checking of duplicate keys between records and availability of a code in a code list.

After generating datasets for transmission to Eurostat additional checks are made:

A1 = A2+C1 (Total): Coherency of total gross weight of goods in tonnes between datasets A1, A2 and C1.

F1=F2: Coherency of number of vessels between datasets F1 and F2

Ports in A1 and D1 vs Ports F2: Coherency between main ports declaring in datasets A1, D1 and F2

Since the data are taken over from the existing administrative source, the Croatian Integrated Maritime Information System, and due to the fact, that, in cooperation with the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure, certain entry controls have been built into the information system, costs of production and processing are minimal compared to the amount of data that are processed. This survey is a good example of the synergy between the development of e-maritime of a competent maritime authority and statistical needs.

The administrative data source is the Croatian Integrated Maritime Information System (CIMIS), which was created as a national single interface to facilitate the delivery of information to all relevant state authorities in the process of the registration of an arrival/departure of a ship. Among other data, authorised maritime agents and shippers submit information on the traffic of goods and passengers on ships to CIMIS. The accuracy and completeness of the data in the official process of registration is verified by harbour master’s offices.

Through a national system for recording the traffic of ships, selected datasets are distributed to all stakeholders according to their needs. One of the stakeholders involved in the system is the Croatian Bureau of Statistics.

Provisional figures are not published in this survey and therefore regular revisions are not planned.

Provisional figures are not published in this survey and therefore regular revisions are not planned. Unplanned revisions caused by events that could not be predicted and that are impossible to prevent (subsequent changes in data sources or subsequently identified errors in previously submitted data) are generally disseminated as soon as possible.

The Croatian Integrated Maritime Information System (CIMIS) has been used as a uniform platform for the recording of arrivals and departures of ships. Data include arrived and departed ships, embarked and disembarked passengers and loaded and unloaded goods.

Monthly 

Data are transmitted to the Croatian Bureau of Statistics following the agreed transmission format.

Quality control is carried out at several levels during data processing.

The first step is automatic integrated entry control (aka. Smart Entry) that allows improved quality data collection.

The second level consists of a thorough quality control conducted by the Croatian Bureau of Statistics. In the statistical processing the CBS conducts controls to verify the completeness of data and logical and computational control.

Data processing on the Survey Processor software enables automated imputation of information on type of ship for foreign cruise ships. Since the administrative source has not the information if a passenger ship is also cruise ship, CBS has created a Reference database of foreign cruise ships to be used as a source to supplement the information on the type of ship "passenger ship". The reference database was created using the verified information that are based on historical data and available Internet data.

Quality controls are carried out at the level of micro data and aggregated at the level of the port. The consistency over time and mirror controls of national traffic are carried out as well.

Data processing on the Survey Processor software enables automated creation of quarterly and annual datasets from processed and validated maritime transport data. The structure of the datasets is according to Directive 2009/42/EC. Datasets are sent using SDMX structure.

Not applicable for maritime transport data collection.

After the introduction of the Croatian Integrated Maritime Information System (CIMIS) for recording arrivals and departures of ships in the national maritime coastal service, since September 2014, shippers on ferry lines have no longer estimated the weight of the cargo in road freight vehicles and accompanying trailers in national traffic. Therefore, this information is no longer available.