Archive:Maritime transport statistics at regional level

Data from March 2010, most recent data: Further Eurostat information, Main tables and Database.

This article on maritime transport in the European Union (EU) discusses both passenger and freight transport down to the regional level (NUTS 2 regions). It focuses on two indicators, the total number of passengers and the total number of tonnes loaded and unloaded.

Table 1: Top-20 NUTS 2 regions with highest number of maritime passengers in 2008 Eurostat (tran_r_mapa_nm)

Table 1, Part 2: Top-20 NUTS 2 regions with highest number of maritime passengers in 2008 Eurostat (tran_r_mapa_nm)

Table 2: Top-20 NUTS 2 regions with highest volume of maritime goods in 2008 Eurostat (tran_r_mago_nm)

Table 2, Part 2: Top-20 NUTS 2 regions with highest volume of maritime goods in 2008 Eurostat (tran_r_mago_nm)

Tables 1 and 2 show the top-20 regions with the highest number of sea passengers and highest volume of sea freight in 2008.

Main statistical findings

While the number of passengers embarking or disembarking in EU-27 ports has remained stable since 2004, volumes of freight handled in EU-27 ports increased by almost 20 % between 2002 and 2008.

This increase highlights the important role that maritime transport plays in transport of goods in extra-EU trade. The landlocked Member States (the Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Hungary, Austria and Slovakia) do not report activity in this sector.

Not surprisingly, maritime passenger transport is dominated by regions with a sea-faring tradition. By far the largest number of passengers transported by sea (31.5 million) is recorded by the Attiki region, where the port of Piraeus is the main gateway for passengers to the Greek islands. The second highest number of passengers was recorded in Sydsverige in Sweden, although the passenger count of 15.0 million was less than half that of Attiki. The ports of the Sydsverige region service a large number of ferry connections to the other countries around the Baltic Sea. Next comes Sicilia, with 14.9 million passengers.

Sicilia services several ferry connections to the mainland of Italy, with Messina the busiest passenger port in Italy, but there are also ferry routes to Malta and Tunisia. The high passenger counts in Kent (14.0 million) and Nord - Pas-de-Calais (13.8 million) reflect the close ties across the English Channel, with the ports of Dover, Medway and Ramsgate on the English side and Calais and Dunkerque on the French side.

From 2004 to 2008, the growth in passenger numbers varied greatly between the top-20 European regions in terms of maritime passenger transport. In particular, the smaller port regions in the top 20 recorded rises in passenger numbers, whereas the numbers fell in several of the largest regions in the top 20. The highest growth rate over this period (+49 %) was recorded for Toscana with the ports of Livorno, Marina Di Carrara and Piombino. Other regions with strong increases in passenger numbers were Notio Aigaio (+21 %) and Sardegna (+12 %).

Several leading maritime regions reported falls in the number of passengers transported from 2004 to 2008. This was the case not only in the largest region, Attiki (down by 13 %), but also in regions around the Baltic Sea, namely Nordjylland in Denmark, with its traditional ties with western Sweden and southern Norway (down by 16 %), and Sydsverige in Sweden (down by 5 %). The regions on both sides of the English Channel also reported slightly lower passenger numbers: down by 3 % in Kent and by 0.4% in Nord - Pas-de-Calais.

For maritime freight, Zuid-Holland with the port of Rotterdam is far in the lead. It handled 391 million tonnes of freight, more than twice the volume of the second of the top-20 European regions, Antwerpen (171 million tonnes). They are followed by Hamburg in Germany (119 million tonnes), Haute Normandie in France (99 million tonnes), Noord-Holland in the Netherlands and Andalucía in Spain (both 98 million tonnes), Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur in France (93 million tonnes) and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire in the United Kingdom (91 million tonnes). These volumes are far higher than those recorded for other modes of transport and clearly illustrate the key role maritime freight plays in the European economy. The geographical spread of the main seaports also illustrates the flexibility of maritime transport, which allows large volumes to be loaded and unloaded close to the main recipients and producers.

Despite the decline in volumes at several key seaports from 2007 to 2008, the freight volumes handled increased in all the top-20 European regions over the five-year period 2003–08, with the exceptions of Sicilia in Italy and Vestlandet in Norway. Noord-Holland in the Netherlands recorded the highest growth in freight volumes over this period (up by 65 %), followed by some of the ‘smaller’ top-20 regions in terms of freight volumes handled: Comunidad Valenciana in Spain (up by 51 %) and Bremen in Germany (up by 49 %).

Data sources and availability

Currently, data on maritime transport are collected under Directive 2009/42/EC on statistical returns in respect of carriage of goods and passengers by sea. This Directive provides detailed quarterly data for ports handling more than 1 million tonnes of goods or recording more than 200 000 passenger movements a year. The data collected at port level are then aggregated at NUTS 2 regional level.

Eurostat’s databases contain regional maritime transport statistics for passengers and freight. These series show passenger and freight movements by NUTS 2 region, measured in thousand passengers and tonnes respectively.

The passenger data are divided into passengers embarking and disembarking. The freight statistics are divided into tonnes of freight loaded and unloaded. Two time series are available on maritime passenger transport, based on different methods. The series going back to 1997 ended with reference year 2003 and was replaced by a new time series with different definitions as from 2004 (now excluding passengers on cruises).

Eurostat collects, compiles and disseminates a variety of regional indicators. Data on maritime transport for passengers and goods are derived directly from the data collection required by law.

Regional transport indicators are available on Eurostat’s website under ‘Transport’ and are mirrored in the ‘General and regional statistics’. In addition to the full data sets, 16 main tables are currently available for transport data, covering infrastructure, the vehicle fleet, journeys by road, rail, sea and air, and road safety (numbers of deaths and injuries in road accidents). All the data are annual, with time series going back to the reference year 1978 for transport infrastructure, air transport and maritime transport. For road safety data, the series starts from 1988.

Due to the intrinsic nature of transport, a spatial breakdown is built into most legislation calling for collection of transport flow statistics, which makes it possible to derive regional indicators for maritime transport directly.

Precise definitions of all the variables used can be found in the Glossary for transport statistics.

The basic data used in the maps and tables were extracted from Eurostat’s website, although not all the derived indicators are directly available there. The aim is to provide added value over and above the data already available to the public on the website.

Context

This article provides basic figures on the regional distribution of maritime transport. However, these data are only part of the wider set of regional transport statistics available in Eurostat’s databases. Regional transport statistics show patterns of variation across regions, where transport-related variables are often closely related to levels of economic activity. Transport policies are at the very heart of efforts to reduce regional inequality and improve regional cohesion. In the enlarged European Union, economic and infrastructure disparities are now more evident than before.

Furthermore, European transport policies seek to reduce the emission of CO₂ and other substances detrimental to the global climate, through a more intelligent transport system and a better mix of transport modes. One of Eurostat’s long-term objectives is to expand the current regional transport indicators in order to provide a better understanding of the impact of transport policies on economic growth, transport needs and the environment.

Further Eurostat information

Publications

Eurostat regional yearbook 2010, chapter 10

Main tables

Transport, see:

Maritime transport (t_mar)

Sea transport of goods (ttr00009)

Database

Transport, see:

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 - data aggregated at standard regional levels (NUTS) (mar_rg)

Dedicated section

Transport

Other information

Directive 2009/42/EC of 6 May 2009 on statistical returns in respect of carriage of goods and passengers by sea (Recast)