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.
Office of Statistics of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
statistica.dgsis@mit.gov.it
daniele.lazzaretti@mit.gov.it
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
28 February 2025
2.2. Metadata last posted
28 February 2025
2.3. Metadata last update
28 February 2025
3.1. Data description
Inland waterway transport statistics provide information on the volume and performance of freight transport on the EU's inland waterway network. They are marked on the basis of the "territoriality principle", which means that each country proceeds with the final loading and unloading. The complete obligation to provide data includes the annual transport of goods by type of goods, by nationality of ships and by type of ship, as well as transport of containers by type of goods; In addition, the legislation provides for voluntary annual data on ship traffic and the transport of dangerous goods. In summary, the statistics transmitted to Eurostat on inland waterway transport:
Freight transport (mandatory provision of data annually);
Ship traffic (voluntary annual provision of data);
Transport of dangerous goods (voluntary annual provision of data)
Number of accidents (annual provision of voluntary data).
As of 2023, the consistent fluctuations in Italian data compared to previous years derive from various factors, including climatic variations such as rising tides due to heavy rainfall and extreme droughts that did not guarantee navigation due to lack of draft; In addition, the gradual elimination of some economic activities in the construction sector due to the widespread crisis and the changes in data collection methodologies, which have moved from paper to computerized collection, have drastically reduced the problems induced by involuntary duplication of data.
3.2. Classification system
Country and NUTS codes
Territorial units like reporting country and regions for loading/unloading are coded according to NUTS classification for those units covered by NUTS Regulation and to ISO 3166 for the rest (e.g. territorial units outside EU). The used version of NUTS always corresponds to the version in use and no conversion to previous version is required. For instance, NUTS 2006 is used for 2008 to 2011 data, NUTS 2010 for 2012 to 2014 data, NUTS 2013 for 2015 to 2017 and NUTS 2016 for 2018 until next NUTS Regulation.
The level of detail is either NUTS0 – for reporting country – or NUTS2 (basic regions, 4 digits) – for regions. When using ISO 3166 and 4-digits level coding is required (e.g. for regions outside EU), the two-digit ISO code followed by “ZZ” is used.
Goods classification
Prior to 2007, the types of goods reported as being transported by inland waterways were those defined by NST/R (Standard Goods for Transport Statistics). In 2007 only, the type of goods has been reported according either to the NST-2000 classification or to the NST/R classification. From 2008 onwards, only the NST2007 classification is valid as set out in Commission Regulation 1304/2007 amending Regulation 1365/2006 with respect to the establishment of NST2007 as the unique classification for transported goods in certain transport modes.
Dangerous goods are classified according to the European Agreement Concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Inland Waterways (ADN). The classes are the following:
ClassDenomination
1 Explosive substances and articles 2 Gases 3 Flammable liquids 4.1 Flammable solids, self-reactive substances and solid desensitised explosives 4.2 Substances liable to spontaneous combustion 4.3 Substances which, in contact with water, emit flammable gases 5.1 Oxidising substances 5.2 Organic peroxides 6.1 Toxic substances 6.2 Infectious substances 7 Radioactive material 8 Corrosive substances 9 Miscellaneous dangerous substances and articles
3.3. Coverage - sector
Padano Veneto Waterway System for Inland Navigation
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
The definitions covering the main concepts used in this domain are included in Article 1 and Annex II to Regulation 425/2007. The main definitions are as follows:
Navigable inland waterway: A watercourse, no part of the sea, which by natural or man-made features is suitable for navigation, primarily by inland waterway vessels. This term covers navigable rivers, lakes, canals and estuaries.
Inland waterway vessel: A floating craft designed for the carriage of goods or public transport of passengers, which navigates predominantly in navigable inland waterways or in waters within, or closely adjacent to sheltered waters or areas where port regulations apply.
Nationality of the vessel: The country in which the vessel is registered.
Inland waterways transport: Any movement of goods using inland waterways vessels, which is undertaken wholly or partly in navigable inland waterways.
National inland waterways transport: Inland waterways transport between two ports of a national territory irrespective of the nationality of the vessel.
International inland waterways transport: Inland waterways transport between two ports located in different national territories.
Transit inland waterways transport: Inland waterways transport through a national territory between two ports both located in another national territory or national territories provided that in the total journey within the national territory there is no trans-shipment.
Inland movement: any movement of goods and/or passengers to and from inland ports connected by water routes which may be made navigable by one or more lock structures.
Inland waterways traffic: Any movement of a vessel on a given navigable inland waterway.
Types of vessels:
Self-propelled barge. Any powered inland waterways freight vessel, other than self-propelled tanker barges.
Barge not self-propelled. Any unpowered inland waterways freight vessel, other than not self-propelled tanker barges. This category includes towed, pushed and pushed-towed barges.
Self-propelled tanker barge. A self-propelled barge intended for the transport of liquids or gases in fixed tanks.
Tanker barge not self-propelled. A barge not self-propelled intended for the transport of liquids or gases in fixed tanks.
Other goods carrying vessel. Any other known or unknown kind of inland waterways freight vessel intended for carrying goods not defined in the previous categories.
Seagoing vessel. A vessel other than those, which navigate predominantly in navigable inland waterways or in waters within, or closely adjacent to, sheltered waters or areas where port regulations apply.
Containers: A freight container means an article of transport equipment:
of a permanent nature and accordingly strong enough to be suitable for repeated use;
specially designed to facilitate the carriage of goods by one or more modes of transport, without intermediate reloading;
fitted with devices permitting its ready handling, particularly its transfer from one mode of transport to another;
so designed as to be easy to fill and empty;
having a length of 20 feet or more.
The size of containers is reported according to four categories:
20 Foot ISO containers (length of 20 feet and width of 8 feet);
40 Foot ISO containers (length of 40 feet and width of 8 feet);
ISO containers over 20 feet and under 40 feet in length;
ISO containers over 40 feet long.
Containers smaller than 20 feet are reported under Category 1.
Containers of unknown size are reported under Category 3.
Inland waterways accidents: specific, identifiable, unexpected, unusual and unintended external event caused by, or in connection with, the operation of an inland waterways vessel resulting in an inland waterways casualty or incident which occurs at a particular time and place, without apparent cause but with marked effect.
By definition suicides are excluded, as they are a deliberate act. Because of their importance, suicide statistics should be collected separately. Terrorist and criminal acts are excluded.
Inland waterways accidents involving the transport of dangerous goods: An inland waterways accident involving a vessel carrying any of the classes of dangerous goods defined by the ADN classification
Inland waterway traffic: any movement of an IWT vessel on a given IWT network.When a vessel is being carried on another vehicle, only the movement of the carrying vehicle (active mode) is taken into account.
Inland waterway journey: any movement of an IW vessel from a specified point of origin to a specified point of destination.
The statistical units for transport on inland waterways are the naval units that transit the locks.
3.6. Statistical population
All vessels carrying out inland waterway transport within the national territory for a period of one year, in particular on the Padano-Veneto waterway system.
3.7. Reference area
Italy
3.8. Coverage - Time
All data will be collected by a new IT system from 2023-2024
3.9. Base period
Not applicable
Data is disseminated using the following units of measure:
1000T: Thousands of tonnes
MIO_TKM: Millions of tonnes/km (the transport of one tonne by inland waterways over one kilometre)
TEU: Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit (a unit of volume used in maritime transport statistics equivalent to a 20-foot ISO container )
1000 TEU_KM: Thousands of TEUs/Km (the transport of one twenty-foot equivalent unit over one kilometre )
VES_MOV: Vessel movements (in number)
>VES_KM: Thousands of vessels/Km (the number of movement of an IWT vessel over one kilometre. The distance taken into account is the distance actually run. Movements of unladed vessels are included. In a convoy, each unit is counted as a vessel)
The data are provided to Eurostat by December of each year but from 2024 they will be available as early as the first months of the year
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (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
The data collected is not confidential
8.1. Release calendar
Every year in December but from 2024 they will be available almost in real time
8.2. Release calendar access
Every year
8.3. Release policy - user access
Italian citizens and users
Annual.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
At the moment not but it is being considered to restore the event for dissemination.
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
Annual book "Conto nazionale delle infrastrutture e dei trasporti".
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
We are implementing the possibility of publishing IWW data online in digital format. The software solution we have identified will be released no earlier than 2026.
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
Not available.
10.5. Dissemination format - other
Not available.
10.6. Documentation on methodology
Not available.
10.7. Quality management - documentation
Not available.
11.1. Quality assurance
Since the automated detection system came into force, the quality of the data and the collection can be considered very high
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Yes, through continuous and permanent monitoring that immediately highlights any discrepancy
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
The main users of inland navigation statistics are:
Interested private users;
public institutions;
Universities and research institutions;
Operators in the sectors involved.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
A user satisfaction survey is being studied
12.3. Completeness
Under review
13.1. Accuracy - overall
With the new detection system, maximum accuracy is assumed.
13.2. Sampling error
Not applicable
13.3. Non-sampling error
Not applicable
14.1. Timeliness
From 2024, the data are available almost in real time even if published on the CNIT during the year
14.2. Punctuality
Data on inland waterway transport are sent to Eurostat every year in December, but will also be available on request from the first months of the year
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Yes, even if Italy is a very particular and different reality from other European nations
15.2. Comparability - over time
In the time series, a fracture is made starting from the beginning of Covid, which starts again with data that are not comparable with the previous years from 2023.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Not applicable.
15.4. Coherence - internal
Not applicable.
The burden of response is regulated by the Sistan - National Statistical System
17.1. Data revision - policy
Continuously monitored, it leads to maximum reliability of the data collected
17.2. Data revision - practice
continuous
18.1. Source data
The information needed for the E1 datasets (Goods transport - annual data) is collected from the following questionnaire:
Data collection sheet relating to the official collection of Italian data on Navigation by inland waterways in the Padano Veneto waterway system. Since 2023, the data request has been centralised towards the UNII (Unione Navigazione Interna Italiana) which has the task of acquiring all the data from the Italian regions involved.
Then, the data collection by the Statistics Office of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport is part of the National Statistical Program and, more specifically, one of the statistical jobs of SISTAN called "MIT-00021 Inland water transport".
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Computerized continuous monitoring
18.3. Data collection
Automated detection system in the locks located on the basins of the managed system, in agreement with the relevant Regions
18.4. Data validation
Audited by UNII on behalf of the Regions and supervised and validated by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport
18.5. Data compilation
directed
18.6. Adjustment
Annual.
The Statistics Office has appointed a new Head, Ing. Daniele Lazzaretti, who, together with his Responsible, the Director of the "Direzione Generale per la Digitalizzazione", Ing. Francesco Baldoni, entered into an agreement with the Italian Inland Navigation Union and the relevant Regions to transmit freight and passenger traffic data of the Po-Venetian Inland Waterway System to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, which oversees the process and certifies the reliability of the data collected and verified in real time by the new automated information system. As specified in point 3.1, it should be noted once again that, starting from 2023, the significant fluctuations in Italian data compared to previous years stem from several factors, including climatic variations such as rising tides caused by heavy rainfall and extreme droughts that prevented navigation due to insufficient draft. Furthermore, the progressive elimination of certain economic activities in the construction sector due to the widespread crisis, along with changes in data collection methodologies—shifting from paper-based to digital collection—have drastically reduced issues caused by the unintentional duplication of data.
Inland waterway transport statistics provide information on the volume and performance of freight transport on the EU's inland waterway network. They are marked on the basis of the "territoriality principle", which means that each country proceeds with the final loading and unloading. The complete obligation to provide data includes the annual transport of goods by type of goods, by nationality of ships and by type of ship, as well as transport of containers by type of goods; In addition, the legislation provides for voluntary annual data on ship traffic and the transport of dangerous goods. In summary, the statistics transmitted to Eurostat on inland waterway transport:
Freight transport (mandatory provision of data annually);
Ship traffic (voluntary annual provision of data);
Transport of dangerous goods (voluntary annual provision of data)
Number of accidents (annual provision of voluntary data).
As of 2023, the consistent fluctuations in Italian data compared to previous years derive from various factors, including climatic variations such as rising tides due to heavy rainfall and extreme droughts that did not guarantee navigation due to lack of draft; In addition, the gradual elimination of some economic activities in the construction sector due to the widespread crisis and the changes in data collection methodologies, which have moved from paper to computerized collection, have drastically reduced the problems induced by involuntary duplication of data.
28 February 2025
The definitions covering the main concepts used in this domain are included in Article 1 and Annex II to Regulation 425/2007. The main definitions are as follows:
Navigable inland waterway: A watercourse, no part of the sea, which by natural or man-made features is suitable for navigation, primarily by inland waterway vessels. This term covers navigable rivers, lakes, canals and estuaries.
Inland waterway vessel: A floating craft designed for the carriage of goods or public transport of passengers, which navigates predominantly in navigable inland waterways or in waters within, or closely adjacent to sheltered waters or areas where port regulations apply.
Nationality of the vessel: The country in which the vessel is registered.
Inland waterways transport: Any movement of goods using inland waterways vessels, which is undertaken wholly or partly in navigable inland waterways.
National inland waterways transport: Inland waterways transport between two ports of a national territory irrespective of the nationality of the vessel.
International inland waterways transport: Inland waterways transport between two ports located in different national territories.
Transit inland waterways transport: Inland waterways transport through a national territory between two ports both located in another national territory or national territories provided that in the total journey within the national territory there is no trans-shipment.
Inland movement: any movement of goods and/or passengers to and from inland ports connected by water routes which may be made navigable by one or more lock structures.
Inland waterways traffic: Any movement of a vessel on a given navigable inland waterway.
Types of vessels:
Self-propelled barge. Any powered inland waterways freight vessel, other than self-propelled tanker barges.
Barge not self-propelled. Any unpowered inland waterways freight vessel, other than not self-propelled tanker barges. This category includes towed, pushed and pushed-towed barges.
Self-propelled tanker barge. A self-propelled barge intended for the transport of liquids or gases in fixed tanks.
Tanker barge not self-propelled. A barge not self-propelled intended for the transport of liquids or gases in fixed tanks.
Other goods carrying vessel. Any other known or unknown kind of inland waterways freight vessel intended for carrying goods not defined in the previous categories.
Seagoing vessel. A vessel other than those, which navigate predominantly in navigable inland waterways or in waters within, or closely adjacent to, sheltered waters or areas where port regulations apply.
Containers: A freight container means an article of transport equipment:
of a permanent nature and accordingly strong enough to be suitable for repeated use;
specially designed to facilitate the carriage of goods by one or more modes of transport, without intermediate reloading;
fitted with devices permitting its ready handling, particularly its transfer from one mode of transport to another;
so designed as to be easy to fill and empty;
having a length of 20 feet or more.
The size of containers is reported according to four categories:
20 Foot ISO containers (length of 20 feet and width of 8 feet);
40 Foot ISO containers (length of 40 feet and width of 8 feet);
ISO containers over 20 feet and under 40 feet in length;
ISO containers over 40 feet long.
Containers smaller than 20 feet are reported under Category 1.
Containers of unknown size are reported under Category 3.
Inland waterways accidents: specific, identifiable, unexpected, unusual and unintended external event caused by, or in connection with, the operation of an inland waterways vessel resulting in an inland waterways casualty or incident which occurs at a particular time and place, without apparent cause but with marked effect.
By definition suicides are excluded, as they are a deliberate act. Because of their importance, suicide statistics should be collected separately. Terrorist and criminal acts are excluded.
Inland waterways accidents involving the transport of dangerous goods: An inland waterways accident involving a vessel carrying any of the classes of dangerous goods defined by the ADN classification
Inland waterway traffic: any movement of an IWT vessel on a given IWT network.When a vessel is being carried on another vehicle, only the movement of the carrying vehicle (active mode) is taken into account.
Inland waterway journey: any movement of an IW vessel from a specified point of origin to a specified point of destination.
The statistical units for transport on inland waterways are the naval units that transit the locks.
All vessels carrying out inland waterway transport within the national territory for a period of one year, in particular on the Padano-Veneto waterway system.
Italy
The data are provided to Eurostat by December of each year but from 2024 they will be available as early as the first months of the year
With the new detection system, maximum accuracy is assumed.
Data is disseminated using the following units of measure:
1000T: Thousands of tonnes
MIO_TKM: Millions of tonnes/km (the transport of one tonne by inland waterways over one kilometre)
TEU: Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit (a unit of volume used in maritime transport statistics equivalent to a 20-foot ISO container )
1000 TEU_KM: Thousands of TEUs/Km (the transport of one twenty-foot equivalent unit over one kilometre )
VES_MOV: Vessel movements (in number)
>VES_KM: Thousands of vessels/Km (the number of movement of an IWT vessel over one kilometre. The distance taken into account is the distance actually run. Movements of unladed vessels are included. In a convoy, each unit is counted as a vessel)
directed
The information needed for the E1 datasets (Goods transport - annual data) is collected from the following questionnaire:
Data collection sheet relating to the official collection of Italian data on Navigation by inland waterways in the Padano Veneto waterway system. Since 2023, the data request has been centralised towards the UNII (Unione Navigazione Interna Italiana) which has the task of acquiring all the data from the Italian regions involved.
Then, the data collection by the Statistics Office of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport is part of the National Statistical Program and, more specifically, one of the statistical jobs of SISTAN called "MIT-00021 Inland water transport".
Annual.
From 2024, the data are available almost in real time even if published on the CNIT during the year
Yes, even if Italy is a very particular and different reality from other European nations
In the time series, a fracture is made starting from the beginning of Covid, which starts again with data that are not comparable with the previous years from 2023.
