Sources and methods of data collection

The Croatian Bureau of Statistics carries out the statistical survey on maritime transport by using data from the Vessel Traffic Monitoring and Information System of the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure. The Croatian Bureau of Statistics takes the database over from the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, after which it performs further processing.

The statistical survey is carried out in line with the statistical standards of the European Union:  Directive 2009/42/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on statistical returns in respect of carriage of goods and passengers by sea (Recast) as well as with all its amending regulations.

Coverage

The statistical survey includes all ships under the national and foreign flags that arrived to or departed from the seaports in the Republic of Croatia, regardless of the activity they perform. Ships in ballast are included.

Data on the traffic in seaports include arrived and departed ships, embarked and disembarked passengers as well as loaded and unloaded goods and relate to the activities in all public seaports in the Republic of Croatia.

Data on the traffic of passengers include passengers on cruise ships who disembarked for a visit to a port or a city and then re-embarked to continue their cruise.

The data on each statistical port also include the data on all ports under the authority of the statistical port concerned.

Data on passengers are published for all seaports. Data on cargo are published for selected seaports. Selected seaports are ports that had the total annual traffic of goods greater than or equal to 1 mln. tonnes in the last three years.

Definitions

Ships are vessels with the length of more than 12 m and of over 15 GT or those authorised to carry more than 12 passengers.

Statistical port consists of one or more ports, normally controlled by a harbour master’s branch office, able to record ship, passenger and cargo movements.

Sea passenger is 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 crew members travelling but not assigned and infants in arms are excluded.

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

Cruise ship 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 is a short visit by a cruise passenger to a tourist attraction associated with a port while retaining a cabin on board.

Gross weight of goods is the total weight of goods carried, including packaging but excluding the tare weight of the transport unit (e.g. containers, swap bodies and pallets containing goods as well as road goods vehicles wagons or barges carried on the vessel).

Goods loaded are goods placed on a merchant ship for transport by sea. Transhipment from one merchant ship to another is regarded as loading after unloading. Goods loaded include national goods, transhipment goods (national or foreign goods arriving in a port by sea) and land transit goods (foreign goods arriving in a port by road, rail, air or inland waterway).

Goods unloaded are goods taken off a merchant ship. Transhipment from one merchant ship to another is regarded as unloading before re-loading. Goods unloaded include national goods, transhipment goods (national or foreign goods leaving a port by sea) and land transit goods (foreign goods leaving a port by road, rail, air or inland waterway).

Container is a special box for carrying freight, strengthened and stackable, allowing a horizontal or vertical transfer.

TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) is a standard unit for counting containers of various capacities and for describing the capacities of container ships or terminals. One 20-foot ISO container equals 1 TEU. One 40-foot ISO container equals two TEU.

Mobile (Ro-Ro) unit is wheeled equipment for carrying goods, such as a lorry, trailer or semi-trailer, which can be driven or towed onto a vessel or train. Port or vessels’ trailers are included in this definition.