Statistics

2.9.1. Statistics drawn up or collected and regularly published by the port authority orother port organisation

The replies received by the Commission referred only to the statistics drawn up by the port authorities or other public bodies. It is worth noting that the term "port authority" covers very different situations among the Community ports and consequently the body which makes the statistical returns varies from one country to another and sometimes also from one port to another within the same country. Often the statistics concerning the movement of ships and the movement of goods are not collected by the same body. While the former are normally collected by the body responsible for the movement of ships within the port those concerning goods are, in most countries, collected by the customs department. Both are then centralised nationally. However, this picture is a simplification. In some ports the same body is responsible for both the movement of ships and goods whereas in other ports various bodies may draw up the same statistics.

The replies are not very detailed as far as the collection of statistics is concerned as this question was not explicitly asked. However, one has an inkling of the organisation and the relations which exist for the exchange of information (either statutory or voluntary) between the various bodies concerned.

A more thorough study would be necessary in order to detail the organisation of port statistics in the various ports as well as the methods employed for their collection. Such a study, which would be a considerable task, would only seem justified if community action aimed at harmonising and improving port statistics were in mind. Any study of cargo flows through the ports (origin and destination statistics) would overlap transport statistics in general and raise

specific problems both at national and commmunity level for those statistics.

The organisation of port statistics at present is such that it is possible to draw up a certain amount; of information at the community level, especially that which concerns the movement of ships (broken down by flag, number and tonnage as well as by national cabotage and international traffic and the movement of goods (tonnes loaded and unloaded, liquids and solids, by national cabotage and international traffic). For the original member states the movement of goods is broken down on the basis of the Standard Goods Classification for Transport Statistics (NST).(l) and this breakdown is now being

(1) NST - "Nomenclature Uniforme des Marchandises pour les Statistiques de Transport"

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studied for the new member states (1).

An interesting example of the voluntary co-ordination of port statistics on an international level is that set up by the Co-ordination Committee for the North West Mediterranean ports which includes all the ports from Leghorn to Tarragona: the goods statistics are drawn up on the basis of the NST and a uniform division of geographical areas (25 maritime zones) has been adopted for origin and destination statistics.

2.9.2. Special statistical studies

As far as special studies are concerned the replies show a wide range made more or less regularly. In many cases one cannot draw a clear line between general statistics (as covered in the above paragraphs) and special studies. Included among the latter are those studies undertaken to check the productivity of the various port installations which have the specific aim of providing technical and economic control information for the port administration concerned. These studies are not usually published. In addition, in most cases, they depend upon the resources which the port concerned can devote to them which means that only the larger ports are able to carry out the more extensive studies.

2.9.3. Statistics or studies which would be of interest if

drawn up the Commission ■... ~_—

There were relatively few wishes expressed by the port authorities for the improvement of port statistics. These wishes were generally directed towards the introduction of community origin and destination statistics for goods. Some wished such work to be confined to seaborne traffic while others wished to include inland traffic to and from the ports.

The Dutch port authorities, which already have origin and destination statistics at their disposal for inland traffic, have mentioned the difficulties which have arisen in drawing up these statistics because of the removal of frontier controls within the Benelux countries. This problem is well known to the services of the Commission and, unfortunately, is not the only one which burdens the drawing up of origin and destination statistics at community level; for many years efforts have been made to set up such statistics for rail, road and inland waterway as well as on the basis of a geographical division by regions which would also take account of port areas but these efforts have so far not led to any concrete results.

(1) For more information see the series "Annual Statistics Transport and Communication, Tourism" published by the Statistical Office of the European Communities

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PART III