Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
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).
3.2. Classification system
The following classifications are applicable:
Maritime Coastal area: the nomenclature is based on the Geonomenclature (the country nomenclature for the external trade statistics of the Community and statistics of trade between Member States, originally drawn up by the Council Regulation (EEC) N°1736/75) in force in the year to which the data refer (RAMON: https://showvoc.op.europa.eu/#/datasets/ESTAT_Geonomenclature_2021_%28GEONOM_2021%29/data).
Ports: the codes used are the official UN/LOCODEs, when they exist. If a port does not have an official UN/LOCODE a provisional (numeric) code is attributed to the port. As soon as an official UN/LOCODE is attributed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) to the port at the request of the competent national authority, the provisional (numeric) code is replaced by the final official one. In exceptional cases (see for example one-port transport or special aggregation for minor ports) permanent numeric codes are attributed to special locations or activities. The code list of UN/LOCODE is available by country through the following link: http://www.unece.org/cefact/locode/service/location.html. According to the relevant directive, Eurostat draws up a list of ports, coded and classified according to countries and maritime coastal areas. The list of ports is included in implementing legal acts and as such is published in the Official Journal of the European Union (the "official" list). The most recent list of ports published in the Official Journal is found in Commission Decision (EU) 2018/1007
Nationality of registration of vessels: the nomenclature used is the Geo-nomenclature (the country nomenclature for the external trade statistics of the Community and statistics of trade between Member States, originally drawn up by the Council Regulation (EEC) N°1736/75) in force in the year to which the data refer (RAMON: https://showvoc.op.europa.eu/#/datasets/ESTAT_Geonomenclature_2021_%28GEONOM_2021%29/data).
The type of ship classification is harmonised with an internationally agreed International Classification of Ship by Type (ICST).
Data are provided on ports handling more than one million tonnes of goods or recording more than 200 000 passenger movements annually. Data on other ports are provided in summary data.
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:
Shipped to offshore installations;
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 -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. 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.
3.5. Statistical unit
The data used in the domain are collected at port level.
3.6. Statistical population
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). The other ports are required to provide summary data. However, detailed data may be included also for minor ports on a voluntary basis.
3.7. Reference area
Operating ports on national territory.
3.8. Coverage - Time
Data on goods and passengers are covered from 2004 onwards.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
The units used depend on the variables collected within each data set and are: gross weight of goods expressed in thousands of tonnes; number of passengers in thousands, number of vessels.
TEUs: Twenty feet equivalent units, expressed in units or in thousands depending on the table. 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).
Quarters for datasets A1, A2, C1, C2, D1, F1 and F2. Whole calendar years for datasets A3, B1 and E1.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
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.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Not applicable.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
National level:
Confidentiality of the information provided by respondents is protected by the Section 17 of the Statistics Law.
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.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
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."
8.1. Release calendar
Annual data in Statistics Database is published 170 days after the reference year. Annual data in publication “Transport in Latvia” is published 230 days after the reference year.
Main results of maritime transport statistics are available free of charge to all users. More detailed data can be obtained with subscription. At the release data maritime transport statistics is available to all users at the same time.
Official statistics (Statistics Database) are available on the website at 13.00 on the date announced in the release calendar.
Quarterly maritime transport statistics are published within 10 months after the reference period and annual maritime transport statistics within 16 months after the reference period.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
The statistics on maritime transport which are collected within the framework of Directive 2009/42/EC are not disseminated in News releases.
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
Publication “Transport in Latvia, 2022” includes chapter “Maritime transport”. The publication is available on CSB website Publication "Transport in Latvia 2022"
If statistical data are not available in publications or in the CSB online data base, data users should send CSB an information request by e-mail info@csp.gov.lv.
Maritime transport statistics are compiled by the competent national statistics authority. Data are collected and compiled in line with Directive 2009/42/EC and with the Code of Practice applicable to all processes for collecting and compiling European statistics.
Microdata and aggregated data are validated before being entered into the database and disseminated to the public. The validation rules are intended to assure:
consistency between the datasets
common structure of nomenclatures (classifications)
year to year comparability of the same indicators
11.2. Quality management - assessment
There are no serious issues with data quality. Testing and comparing microdata exclude errors. In case of any issues detected, the data providers are contacted to provide explanations or/and revise the data accordingly. In order to improve data quality aggregated data collected in line with Directive 2009/42/EC are compared with data collected using other source of information and different methodology. Detected discrepancies are eliminated.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
The basic users of maritime transport statistics are
International data users:
Eurostat,
United Nation,
International Transport Forum.
National data users:
Ministry of Transport,
Bank of Latvia,
Public administrations,
Students,
Mass media.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Not applicable.
12.3. Completeness
Maritime transport data collected within the scope of the legal acts are complete.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
The overall accuracy is considered to be good. When data are compared with other sources, such as statistics compiled by stevedore companies, discrepancies are usually found to be resulting from differences in the methodology. However, some errors may occur in the statistics due to measurement errors.
13.2. Sampling error
Not applicable for maritime transport data collection.
13.3. Non-sampling error
Measurement errors
Some measuring errors may occur as a result of codification errors by port authorities and shipping agents. Use of the so-called “unknown codes” instead of specific codes for type of cargo, type of goods, partner port, type of vessel is also a factor which will reduce the accuracy of the maritime statistics. There may also be typos and the use of incorrect codes, especially of partner ports, which determine some of the errors.
14.1. Timeliness
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).
14.2. Punctuality
All datasets are transmitted to Eurostat within the deadlines set in Directive 2009/42/EC
Quarterly dataset A1, A2, C1 – 5 months after the reference quarter,
Quarterly datasets D1, F1, F2 – 5 months after the reference quarter,
Annual datasets A3, B1, E1 – 8 months after the reference year.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
No geographical comparability problems. The survey on maritime transport has been adapted to EU requirements since 2004, so that the data are fully comparable with the data of the members of the European Statistical System.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Comparable time series are available from 2004. There were no breaks in time series, so all-time points are comparable.
Maritime transport data time series exist from 1990, but there is other information source and methodology. This time series exist parallel to data time series collected in line with Directive 2009/42/EC.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
The data are consistent.
15.4. Coherence - internal
As from 2004 all datasets collected and provided to Eurostat are consistent.
Cost and burden are not systematically collected.
17.1. Data revision - policy
Data are not revised. Revisions may be made as more complete information becomes available or as a result of quality checks.
17.2. Data revision - practice
The policy described in 17.1 is fully implemented.
18.1. Source data
From main ports (handling more than one million tonnes of goods or recording more than 200 000 passenger movements annually) the necessary data is obtained using monthly questionnaire in excel format fulfilled by ports authorities. The Port Authority fills in the questionnaire with the help of a special program. This program exports the port’s database records of port ship visits and cargo manifests in the questionnaire. This questionnaire is used to prepare datasets A1, A2, A3, B1, C1, E1, F1, F2.
From small ports the necessary data is obtained using other monthly questionnaire fulfilled by ports authorities. The data source for this questionnaire is information from stevedore companies. This questionnaire is used to prepare dataset A3 for small ports and for dataset D1.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
The monthly questionnaires are used. The data processing program prepares monthly summaries from the monthly questionnaire data. Quarterly summaries are prepared from monthly summaries, but annual summaries are prepared from quarterly summaries.
18.3. Data collection
The data for the purpose of the Directive 2009/42/EC are collected by monthly questionnaires received from ports authorities. Maritime statistics are based on the ship manifest and cargo declaration database data of ports authorities that are aggregated afterwards.
18.4. Data validation
After receiving the excel file from ports authorities, it is manually checked whether all the required records are filled. Missing data is being filled. The excel file is then exported to a data processing program, where it is checked again that all records are filled in and that the codes correspond to the classifications.
In addition, after preparing the summaries, the data are compared with the data of stevedoring companies, where possible: liquid cargo, bulk cargo, general cargo, except containers and ro-ro cargo, number of ro-ro units, number of containers. In case of large differences, the reason for the differences is specified and, if necessary, the data is corrected.
18.5. Data compilation
After various plausibility checks, the monthly questionnaires received from ports authorities are compiled into monthly summary datasets A1, A2, B1, C1, E1, F1 and F2 data. Quarterly summaries are prepared from monthly summaries, but annual summaries are prepared from quarterly summaries.
The summaries are drawn up in accordance with Directive 2009/42/EC and in accordance with paragraph 24.4 of the Official Statistics Programme for 2021–2023 for national needs.
18.6. Adjustment
Maritime transport data are not seasonally adjusted.
Maritime transport data are collected, compiled and published in full accordance with the requirements of the Directive 2009/42/EC and in accordance with paragraph 24.4 of the Official Statistics Programme.
Latvia has two types of maritime transport statistics. One of statistics is compiled by using information from stevedoring companies, while the other is compiled in accordance with the provisions of the Directive, using the port authorities' database of incoming/ outgoing ships as a source of information. For national purposes, mainly only data collected from stevedoring companies are used. Data compiled in accordance with the requirements of the Directive 2009/42/EC used as additional more detailed data in maritime transports data analysis.
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).
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:
Shipped to offshore installations;
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 -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. 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.
The data used in the domain are collected at port level.
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). The other ports are required to provide summary data. However, detailed data may be included also for minor ports on a voluntary basis.
Operating ports on national territory.
Quarters for datasets A1, A2, C1, C2, D1, F1 and F2. Whole calendar years for datasets A3, B1 and E1.
The overall accuracy is considered to be good. When data are compared with other sources, such as statistics compiled by stevedore companies, discrepancies are usually found to be resulting from differences in the methodology. However, some errors may occur in the statistics due to measurement errors.
The units used depend on the variables collected within each data set and are: gross weight of goods expressed in thousands of tonnes; number of passengers in thousands, number of vessels.
TEUs: Twenty feet equivalent units, expressed in units or in thousands depending on the table. 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).
After various plausibility checks, the monthly questionnaires received from ports authorities are compiled into monthly summary datasets A1, A2, B1, C1, E1, F1 and F2 data. Quarterly summaries are prepared from monthly summaries, but annual summaries are prepared from quarterly summaries.
The summaries are drawn up in accordance with Directive 2009/42/EC and in accordance with paragraph 24.4 of the Official Statistics Programme for 2021–2023 for national needs.
From main ports (handling more than one million tonnes of goods or recording more than 200 000 passenger movements annually) the necessary data is obtained using monthly questionnaire in excel format fulfilled by ports authorities. The Port Authority fills in the questionnaire with the help of a special program. This program exports the port’s database records of port ship visits and cargo manifests in the questionnaire. This questionnaire is used to prepare datasets A1, A2, A3, B1, C1, E1, F1, F2.
From small ports the necessary data is obtained using other monthly questionnaire fulfilled by ports authorities. The data source for this questionnaire is information from stevedore companies. This questionnaire is used to prepare dataset A3 for small ports and for dataset D1.
Quarterly maritime transport statistics are published within 10 months after the reference period and annual maritime transport statistics within 16 months after the reference period.
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).
No geographical comparability problems. The survey on maritime transport has been adapted to EU requirements since 2004, so that the data are fully comparable with the data of the members of the European Statistical System.
Comparable time series are available from 2004. There were no breaks in time series, so all-time points are comparable.
Maritime transport data time series exist from 1990, but there is other information source and methodology. This time series exist parallel to data time series collected in line with Directive 2009/42/EC.
