Sea transportation is used by businesses for the delivery of goods from distant

suppliers. Most sea transportation is conducted in containers which vary in size.

Goods can be grouped into a container (LCL) or fill a container (FCL). Sea tankers
are used for bulk shipments of loose goods such as oil, grain and coal.

Advantages

 Ideal for transporting heavy and bulky goods

 Suitable for products with long lead times

Disadvantages

 Longer lead/delivery times

 Bad weather
 Difficult to monitor exact location of goods in transit
 Customs and Excise restrictions
 Could be costly

Carriage of Goods by Sea

There are two main types of contract which are in wide use when we speak about transportation
of goods by sea: a charter party contract and a bill of lading contract. Speaking of bill of lading
contract, however, one shall bear in mind that in some cases the bill of lading can be no more
than a receipt for goods loaded on board, in some it may serve as an evidence to the charter party
contract and, finally, it imposes contractual obligations for safe custody of the cargo on the
carrier before the person taking delivery of the goods. For more information on bills of lading
follow this link.

Charter party, in its turn, is a contract concluded between the shipowner and the charterer with
the purpose to employ an entire vessel or some principal part of her for a voyage or series of
voyages or for a period of time (see Caffin v Aldridge [1895] 2 QB 366; [1895] 2 QB 648 for
discussion on hiring of entire capacity of ship) . Bill of lading contract, in its turn, is a contract
for the carriage of goods.

Moreover, unlike the bills of lading, the charterparties are not subject to both mandatory
application of the Hague and the Hague-Visby Rules and to statutory obligations contained in the
Carriage of Goods by Sea Act 1992. Thus a charter party is a contract which is negotiated in a
free market where bargaining strength of the parties is highly dependent on the factor of supply

1
and demand and governed by the ordinary law of contract. There are three main categories of
charter party:

1. a voyage charter party whereby the vessel is chartered for a specified voyage;
2. a time charter party whereby the vessel is chartered for a specified period of time;
3. a charter party by demise whereby the vessel is leased to the charterer.

Every contract of affreightment whether charter party or bill of lading is negotiated against a
background of custom and commercial usage and in addition to the express clauses agreed by the
parties also consist of implied obligations, i.e. obligations which are automatically incorporated
into the contract in the absence of agreement to the contrary.

There are several main implied obligations imposed by law on the owner:

1. Undertaking to provide seaworthy ship

2. Obligation to perform the voyage with reasonable dispatch
3. Obligation not to deviate from agreed route

And on the charterer:

1. Obligation to nominate safe port

2. Obligation not to ship dangerous goods

Carriage of Goods by Sea. Bill of Lading

Short Overview
… the materials for the early history of Bills of Lading are singularly scanty owing to the customary
nature of the rules of the Law of Merchant. What was so well known to all merchants it did not always
seem necessary to embody in written rules or decisions.

W.P. Bennett, The History and Present Position of the Bill of Lading as a Document of Title to Goods.
Cambridge University Press, 1914, p.2

Bills of lading have been known from at least the thirteenth century. At those times shippers
(usually the owners of the goods) as a rule accompanied their cargoes on the voyage to
destination and bill of lading served only as an invoice of the goods shipped. Later, in the
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, when larger ships has begun to carry varied cargoes
belonging to several shippers this practice gradually came to naught and it became the custom to
incorporate the terms of the contract of carriage into bill of lading. Finally to meet requirements
of businessmen who wished to sell the goods before the vessel reached its destination bill of
lading extended its status to a document of title. Thus at the end of the eighteenth century bill of
lading was characterised as:

2
… the written evidence of a contract of the carriage and delivery of goods sent by sea for a certain
freight. The contract in legal language is a contract of bailment; 2 Lord Raym. 912. In the usual form of
the contract the undertaikng is to deliver to the order or assigns of the shipper. By the delivery on
board, the ship-master acquires a special property to support that possession which he holds in the right
of another, and to enable him to perform his undertaking. The general property remains with the
shipper of the goods until he has disposed of it by some act sufficient in law to transfer property. The
indorsement of the bill of lading is simply a direction of the delivery of the goods. When this
indorsement is in blank, the holder of the bill of lading may receive the goods, and his receipt will
discharge the ship-master; but the holder of the bill, if it came into his hands casually, without any just
title, can acquire no property in the goods.

It necessary to note that during the sailing-ship epoch, carriage of goods by sea was in bigger
part performed by the common carriers (read more on Common Carriers) who agrees to carry the
goods of any person who choose to employ him. A common carrier was strictly liable to the
goods’ owner in the same way as a bailee for reward, i.e. was to deliver the goods at all events,
subject only to the acts of God and the King’s enemies.

With the rapid growth of international trade and significant influence on the development of
contract law of laissez-faire ideology in the first half of the nineteenth century the shipowners
were able to took advantage of their superior bargaining power by introducing clauses into the
contract of carriage which, to an increasing degree, excluded their common law liability. Thus
the shipowners to the bigger or smaller extent lost characteristics of a common carrier and
became private carriers.

Modern status of contractual relations between the shipper, the charterer, the carrier and bill of
lading holder has been summarised by Evans J in Boukadoura Maritime Corp. v Societe
Anonyme Marocaine de l’Industrie et du Raffinage (the Boukadoura) [1989] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 393
in the following words:

The first is that contractual relations between the shipowner and charterer remain governed by the
charter-party notwithstanding the issue of a bill of lading to a third party shipper. Secondly, although the
shipper is an independent third party, for the purposes of the charter-party he should be regarded as
the agent through whom the charterer has performed his undertaking to load cargo upon the vessel.
Thirdly, when the shipowners through the master or their agents issue a bill of lading they undertake
responsibilities and potential liabilities to third parties which are independent of the charter-party
contract. If the document contains a false statement knowingly or recklessly made, then there is a
potential liability in fraud: Brown Jenkinson & Co Ltd v Percy Dalton (London) Ltd, [1957] 2 Lloyd’s Rep 1;
[1957] 2 QB 621. Fourthly, ... the commercial reality today is that the shipowner will invariably be
required, and will expect to have to issue a bill of lading, which will or may be held by third parties other
than the charterer. Fifthly, it is for practical purposes inevitable that the liabilities under the bill of lading
contract will differ to a greater or lesser extent from those undertaken by the shipowner under the
charter party. The differences may result from different contractual terms of, in English law at least,
from the operation of the doctrine of estoppel.

3
Statutory Developments

Unrestricted application of the doctrine of freedom of contract to the bills of lading contracts
(and to charterparties as well) was vigorously opposed by other involved sides, namely shippers,
bankers and underwriters. Finally it led to understanding that there is no practical value in any
piecemeal solution, but only internationally recognised agreement can be acceptable for all
parties. Such agreement in form of a set of rules was drafted by the Maritime Law Committee of
the International Law Association and in 1921 and formed an international convention which
was signed in Brussels on 25 August 1924 by the major trading nations, also known as the Hague
Rules.

It shall be said that the Hague Rules were not intended to provide a comprehensive and self-
sufficient code, but were designed merely to define the basic obligations of the carrier, therefore
over the years all the limitations of the Rules became a source of discontent within shipping
society, which resulted in incorporation in 1968 of several amendments to the Rules, known as
the Brussels Protocol and is usually referred to as the Hague/Visby Rules.

Under influence of developing countries, negotiations began at UNCITRA in 1968, resulted in

the signing of a document in 1978 in Hamburg and since then known as the Hamburg Rules.
Development and analysis of the Hamburg Rules are beyond the scope of this overview and it is
sufficient only to note that the Hamburg Rules being ratified by a number of states which have
neither ships, ports nor international trade, were never broadly adopted by the world’s major
trading nations.

Moving goods by sea

1.1.1       Introduction

                                 

This guide explains how to use ocean shipping to transport your goods. It shows how the international
shipping system works and gives you the information you need to choose the shipping option that's right
for you.

This guide also outlines the different vessels used for international shipping. It highlights the main
factors affecting ocean freight costs and provides an overview of the key documents you'll need to
transport goods by sea.

1.1.2       The different types of ocean shipping

                                 

4
Many different types of ship are used to transport goods around the world. The differences between them
reflect the varied needs of international traders. In particular, different types of ship are used to carry
different types of cargo, or to carry cargo in varied ways.

The different types of ship are summarised below:

 Container ships (or "box ships") carry their cargo packed into standard 20'/40' containers that
are stacked both on and below deck. Smaller "feeder" ships carry containers on coastal and
inland waters.
 Roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) carriers carry both road haulage and passenger vehicles
 General cargo ships carry loose-packaged cargo of all types.
 Bulk carriers carry unpackaged goods - usually large volumes of single-commodity goods such as
grain, coal, fertilizers and ore.
 Tankers carry liquids (such as oil and gas) in bulk.

Merchant ships primarily do business in two different ways:

 Liner vessels operate on fixed routes, to fixed schedules and usually with a standard tariff. Liner
trades are dominated by container ships, roll-on/roll-off carriers and general cargo ships.
 Charter ("tramp") vessels operate entirely according to the demands of the person chartering
them. Their ports of loading and discharge are set by the charter, as is their cost, which depends
on immediate supply and demand conditions. Most tankers and bulk carriers operate in the
charter markets.

 UK FOOTNOTE

For more information about road haulage, see our guide on Moving goods by road .

1.1.3       How goods are carried on ships

                                 

There are three main ways in which goods are transported on ships. These affect how different ships are
built.

In containers

The use of containers now dominates commercial international shipping. The advantages of packing
goods into containers include:

 the ease of intermodal transit, ie containers can be unloaded from the ship and transferred
directly to a road or rail vehicle
 opportunity to offer consumers a door-to-door service
 speed and efficiency of loading and unloading
 security of goods during transit

5
There are more than 20 internationally recognised types of container, including refrigerated units and
open-topped containers, but there are two basic sizes. Their dimensions in metric terms are:

 20ft: 589cm (l) x 235 (w) x 239 (h) - volume 33.2 cubic metres
 40ft: 1,203cm (l) x 235 (w) x 239 (h) - volume 67.7 cubic metres

The largest container ships can accommodate more than 9,000 20ft containers.

As break-bulk

Break-bulk refers to any non-bulk cargo that isn't containerised (such as goods on pallets, or in crates or
drums or sacks), which is loaded directly into a ship's hold. Break-bulk tends to be used for specialised
trades (such as fresh fruit), or for trade to small ports that do not have the necessary infrastructure to
handle containerised traffic.

Goods carried as break-bulk can be more susceptible to damage than containerised goods because they
are stowed loose in a ship's hold. So strong packaging is essential, as is dunnage (loose packing material),
which is placed around the cargo to protect it from damage during transit.

In bulk

Large shipments of certain commodities - such as coal, ore, wheat or oil - are typically carried in bulk,
unpackaged in the ship's hold.

UK FOOTNOTE 

See the page in this guide on the different types of ocean shipping.

See our guide on Labeling and packaging your goods for export.

1.1.4        The main international shipping routes

                                 

Shipping routes reflect world trade flows. Sailings are most numerous and most frequent on routes where
trade volumes are largest and demand is therefore greatest.

In liner trades to and from Europe, the busiest routes are to the Far East (especially China and Japan),
passing through the Mediterranean, the Suez Canal and the Malacca Straits. The North Atlantic route,
linking Western Europe and the USA and Canada, is also busy, and there are well-established routes to
the Middle East, India, Australia and New Zealand, Central and South America, as well as to East and
West Africa.

6
There are direct liner services from European ports to most other countries, and certainly to all the main
trading economies. However, if your cargo is destined for a smaller port in one of these countries or for a
port in a country with little trade with your country, there may not be a direct sailing available - in which
case, your cargo will need to be transhipped to another local sailing at the end of the ocean voyage.

In bulk trades routes reflect the places of origin and consumption of the commodities carried. For
example, many of the main oil routes begin in the Middle East and end in developed countries where
demand for oil is greatest.

There will usually be a range of routes by which your cargo can reach its destination. It's worth exploring
all the options available to find the one that best suits your needs in terms of price, speed, safety and
contractual stipulations. This can be done by directly contacting those shipping companies that advertise
sailings to your destination or by engaging freight forwarders to make arrangements for you.

UK FOOTNOTE 

See our guide on Using brokers and forwarders.

1.1.5       The costs of ocean shipping

                                 

A range of factors can influence the cost of transporting a consignment of goods by sea. There are two
main elements: the ocean freight charged by the carrier, and costs associated with handling and clearing
the goods at the ports of loading and discharge.

A number of factors can influence how these charges are calculated:

 for liner traffic, freight is usually charged according to the shipping company's standard tariff,
although larger or frequent shippers and freight forwarders may be able to negotiate
preferential shipping rates
 charter rates for other vessels depend on supply and demand conditions prevailing at the time
when the charter is negotiated

However, there are many other factors that can impact on the final price, including:

 different rates for specific goods and general cargo

 congestion charges at busy ports
 currency adjustment factor (CAF), to take account of exchange rate changes during the journey -
shipping costs are usually calculated and quoted in US dollars
 bunker adjustment factor (BAF), to take account of fuel price fluctuation
 surcharges (like a security surcharge) levied by ports and/or by the shipping company to cover
the costs of particular regulatory regimes

Another factor that affects the cost of shipping containerised cargo is whether or not you have a full
container load (FCL) to transport. Shipping companies' tariffs are based on flat per-container rates, so it is

7
clearly most economical to ship your goods in containers that are full. If you have a less-than-container-
load (LCL) consignment, it may be worth consolidating your cargo with that of other traders, so you'll
only pay for the weight or volume (whichever is greater) of your own goods.

Working out the most cost-effective way to ship your goods around the world can be a complicated task.
As with most services, you can research the options yourself or pay a third party (such as a freight
forwarder) to handle these issues for you, finding transport modes and routes that suit your needs.

UK FOOTNOTE 

For more information, see our guide on Using brokers and forwarders.

1.1.6       Key documents for transporting goods by sea

                                 

As with most aspects of international trade, using ocean shipping to transport your goods involves the
completion of a wide range of documents. The list below is not comprehensive.

You will need an Export Cargo Shipping Instruction. This is the document by which you provide the
shipping company with details of your goods and set out your instructions for the shipment. It follows up
on the initial booking, when space will have been confirmed on particular sailings. The process is often
concluded by telephone.

You will also need one of the following:

 If the goods are hazardous , a Dangerous Goods Note (DGN). This document details the nature
of any dangerous goods in a consignment and the hazards presented by them.
 If the goods are non-hazardous , a Standard Shipping Note (SSN). This gives the port of loading
the information it needs to handle your goods correctly. It's also used by the shipping company
to check the actual information about the goods once they have been loaded into the container
with the predicted information supplied beforehand.

In addition, you will also need one of the following:

 A Bill of Lading . Issued by the carrier, this serves three purposes - it shows that the carrier has
received the goods, provides evidence of a contract of carriage, and serves as a document of
title to the goods. This is a unique historical document - several of its features date from the age
of sail, and it's not always appropriate in the 21st century.
 A Sea Waybill . This fulfils the same practical functions as the bill of lading, but does not confer
title to the goods and is therefore quicker and easier to use. It's often used where there's a well-
established trading relationship between buyer and seller or in transactions where ownership
doesn't change hands, eg between divisions of a single company.

UK FOOTNOTE 

8
There is a lot of industry terminology that you may find unfamiliar if you're just starting - you can find
explanations of many shipping terms on the Baltic Exchange website.

1.1.7       Cargo insurance for goods at sea

                                 

As with any commercial transactions, there are risks associated with trading internationally and it's
important to arrange appropriate insurance cover.

You're likely to see the phrase "marine insurance". This doesn't only apply to ocean shipping - it also
covers transport by road, rail and air.

In order for insurance cover to be valid, you have to be able to show that you have an "insurable interest"
in the insured goods. This means showing that the goods are yours and that you bear the risks associated
with them.

Shipping companies' liability for the cargo they carry is set by various international conventions and does
not always equate to the full value of the goods. The level of protection this offers varies from market to
market, so you should check what the position is.

Contracts of sale and insurance

The main risks that arise in international trade are loss, damage and delay (including detention at
customs). How these risks are shared between buyers and sellers should be covered in the contract of sale
(not the contract of carriage), using Incoterms.

Incoterms are a standard set of trading terms that indicate precisely when responsibility for costs and risks
shifts from seller to buyer. This affects your insurance, because the more costs you're responsible for, the
greater the insurance cover you'll need. For example:

 In an ex-works (EXW) transaction, the seller is considered to have delivered the goods once
they've been made available for collection at the factory or warehouse. From that point on, risk
passes to the buyer, so the buyer should insure the journey from that point.
 With a delivered-duty-paid (DDP) sale, the risk only passes to the buyer once the goods have
arrived at their place of destination and have been cleared for import. In this case, the seller
should insure the journey up to that point. There is no obligation under DDP for either buyer or
seller to contract for insurance. Only two terms in Incoterms - CIF and CIP - require insurance to
be contracted - in both cases it is the seller's obligation. It is recommended under DDP (and any
other of the ten remaining terms) that buyer and seller agree who will be responsible for
effecting the insurance contract as part of the delivery or sales contract.

Be aware that Incoterms are terms for contracts of sale and they do not apply to contracts of carriage.

9
Traders often tend to under-insure themselves, so it's recommended that you add 10 per cent to the
amount of cover you think you need. You can also arrange cover for contingencies, eg the buyer refusing
to accept your goods when they arrive.

 UK FOOTNOTE 

See our guide on Transport insurance .

For more information, see our guide on International Commercial Contracts - Incoterms

 Play the Game

 Use e-Learning Course
 Access the Knowledge Base

Maritime transport statistics - short sea

shipping of goods
Data from April 2012, most recent data: Further Eurostat information, Main tables and
Database.

This article presents recent short sea shipping (SSS) statistics of the European Union (EU),
covering the transport of goods between ports in the EU-27 on the one hand, and ports situated in
geographical Europe, on the Mediterranean and Black Seas on the other hand. Data is also
available for Norway, Croatia and Turkey. The results are broken down by sea regions (Atlantic
Ocean, Baltic Sea, etc.) and by type of cargo. The figures presented are for maritime transport of
goods reported by main ports.

Figure 1: Share of short sea shipping (SSS) of goods in total sea transport in 2010 (gross weight of goods
in Mio tonnes)
Source: Eurostat (mar_sg_am_cw)

Table 1: SSS of goods by reporting country and sea region of partner ports in 2010 (gross weight of
goods in Mio tonnes)
Source: Eurostat (mar_sg_am_cws)

10
Figure 2: EU-27 SSS of goods by sea region of partner ports in 2010 (% based on gross weight of goods)
Source: Eurostat (mar_sg_am_cws)

Table 2: SSS of goods by reporting country and direction, 2004-2010 (gross weight of goods in Mio
tonnes)
Source: Eurostat (mar_sg_am_cwd)

Table 3: SSS of goods by reporting country and type of cargo in 2010 (gross weight of goods in Mio
tonnes)
Source: Eurostat (mar_sg_am_cwk)

Figure 3: EU-27 SSS of goods by type of cargo for each sea region of partner ports in 2010 (% based on
gross weight of goods)
Source: Eurostat (mar_sg_am_ewx)

11
Table 4: EU-27 top-20 SSS ports in 2010 (gross weight of goods in Mio tonnes)
Source: Eurostat (mar_sg_am_pw)

Figure 4: Share of SSS in total maritime transport for EU-27 top-20 SSS ports in 2010 (in %)
Source: Eurostat (mar_sg_am_pw)

Table 5: Liquid bulk: EU-27 top-5 SSS ports in 2010 (gross weight of goods in Mio tonnes)
Source: Eurostat (mar_sg_am_pwl)

Table 6: Dry bulk: EU-27 top-5 SSS ports in 2010 (gross weight of goods in Mio tonnes)
Source: Eurostat (mar_sg_am_pwb)

Table 7: Containers: EU-27 top-5 SSS ports in 2010 (gross weight of goods in Mio tonnes)
Source: Eurostat (mar_sg_am_pwc)

Table 8: Roll-on/Roll-off units: EU-27 top-5 SSS ports in 2010 (gross weight of goods in Mio tonnes)
Source: Eurostat (mar_sg_am_pwr)

Table 9: SSS of containers by reporting country, 2004-2010 (volume of containers in 1000 TEUs)
Source: Eurostat (mar_sg_am_cv)

12
Contents
[hide]

 1 Main statistical findings

o 1.1 Transport by type of cargo
o 1.2 Top EU-27 ports
o 1.3 Container transport
 2 Data sources and availability
o 2.1 Country-specific remarks
 3 Context
 4 Further Eurostat information
o 4.1 Publications
o 4.2 Database
o 4.3 Dedicated section
o 4.4 Methodology / Metadata
o 4.5 Source data for tables, figures and maps on this page (MS Excel)
o 4.6 Other information
 5 See also

Main statistical findings

In 2010, total short sea shipping (SSS) in the EU-27 was close to 1.8 billion tonnes of freight.
Short sea shipping represented 62 % of EU-27 maritime transport of goods, about the same as in
2009. However, the share of short sea shipping in total maritime transport varied widely from
one country to another.

The preponderance of short sea shipping of goods over the other seaborne transport (deep sea
shipping) was particularly pronounced (more than 90 %) in Denmark, Malta, Finland and
Sweden. Geographical considerations may partly explain this predominance. A large volume of
feeder services may also explain the high degree of short sea shipping transport in countries
which function as transhipment points, such as Malta.

In contrast, in countries which host large ports concentrating on intercontinental trade (such as
the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium and Germany), the share of short sea shipping is lower than
60 %.

Short sea shipping in main United Kingdom (UK) ports came to 316 million tonnes of cargo,
accounting for more than 14 % of total short sea shipping in the EU-27 countries. The UK was
followed by Italy and the Netherlands, with 14 % and 12 % of the EU-27 total, respectively.

Short sea shipping of goods between main EU-27 ports and ports located in the Mediterranean
was 570 million tonnes in 2010. This accounts for about 28 % of the total declared by the main
EU-27 ports in 2010, while the North Sea followed with 524 million tonnes, 26 % of the total.

13
For most countries, the highest share of their short sea shipping of goods was with partner ports
located in the same sea region as their own coastline. One exception was Latvia, where about
half of the short sea shipping of goods came from or was destined for ports located in the North
Sea. Romania was another exception, with the Mediterranean region taking the largest share.

Total short sea shipping of goods in the main EU-27 ports rose by 5.3 % in 2010, recovering
substantially from the downturn in 2009. Even so, it was still lower in 2010 than the level
recorded 5 years earlier (in 2005).

Poland recorded the largest increase in short sea shipping of goods in 2010 (31.2 %), followed by
Estonia (25.5 %) and Portugal (21.1 %). The only countries reporting decreases in short sea
shipping of goods compared with 2009, were Greece, Latvia, France and the acceding state
Croatia.

Transport by type of cargo

In 2010, liquid bulk, at 847 million tonnes, accounted for almost half (48 %) of total short sea
shipping of goods to and from the EU-27. At 341 million tonnes, dry bulk was the second largest
type of cargo (19 %).

Goods transported in roll on - roll off (Ro-Ro) units came next with 239 million tonnes (14 %),
followed by goods in containers at 213 million tonnes (12 %).

Among EU Member States, the UK with 85 million tonnes had by far the largest short sea
shipping total by Ro-Ro units in 2010. The UK also led the EU-27 ranking for short sea shipping
of dry bulk goods, with 56 million tonnes.

In terms of liquid bulk, the Netherlands accounted for the largest tonnage in 2010, totalling 165
million tonnes.

With 48 million tonnes, Belgium overtook Italy to account for the largest tonnage of short sea
shipping of goods in containers.

Liquid bulk was the largest single cargo type for all sea regions, particularly the Black Sea,
where it represented 70 % of the total short sea shipping of goods in 2010. The share of dry bulk
varied little between the different sea regions (ranging from 16 % to 23 %), while the share of
goods in containers reached 18 % in the Mediterranean and the share of Ro-Ro was 20 % in the
Atlantic Ocean (the sea region where both the two main Ro-Ro ports in the EU-27, Dover and
Calais, are located).

Top EU-27 ports

Rotterdam remains the largest EU-27 port in terms of short sea shipping of goods.

In 2010, the top-20 ports accounted for 36 % of total short sea shipping of goods in the EU-27.

14
Except for the main deep sea hub ports – Rotterdam, Antwerpen, Hamburg, Amsterdam and
Algeciras – all top 20 ports had shares of short sea shipping in total seaborne transport of goods
above 55 %.

Rotterdam is by far the main EU-27 port for short sea shipping of liquid bulk and accounted for
12 % of total short sea shipping of liquid bulk declared by main EU-27 ports in 2010.

Rotterdam was also the largest port for short sea shipping of dry bulk in 2010. With a top-5 ports
share of 14.8 %, dry bulk was the least "concentrated" of the short sea shipping market segments.
This concentration has been growing in recent years, however, with top 5 shares increasing from
12.9 % in 2006.

Antwerpen, with 14 %, was the largest port for short sea shipping of goods in containers. Unlike
dry bulk, the market for ports handling short sea shipping of containers is very concentrated. In
2010, the top-5 ports accounted for about 42 % of the total container handling in the EU-27
ports. Overall, deep sea container business is larger than short sea containers for EU-27 ports.

In contrast, shipping of Ro-Ro units is almost exclusively a short distance activity. Ro-Ro
shipping was the market segment which recorded the largest increase at EU-27 level in 2010
(13 %), even though the top two Ro-Ro ports (the Dover–Calais pairing) both recorded
decreases.

Container transport

Short sea shipping of containers recorded an even stronger increase in terms of TEUs than in the
gross weight of goods in 2010 (+12 %).

Latvia, Slovenia, Poland and The Netherlands all had growth rates of more than 25 % in short
sea shipping of TEUs compared with 2009, while Romania, Ireland, France and the acceding
state Croatia were the only countries reporting decreases in number of TEUs compared with
2009.

Data sources and availability

Short sea shipping (SSS), as covered in this article, deals with the transport of goods between
ports in the EU-27 on one hand, and ports situated in geographical Europe, on the Mediterranean
and the Black Sea on the other. The “other seaborne transport” includes “deep sea shipping” and
transport with unidentified partner ports (“unknown ports”). According to the definition, SSS
includes “feeder services”.

The content of this article is based on data collected within the framework of the EU maritime
transport statistics Directive, i.e. Directive 2009/42/EC of 6 May 2009 on statistical returns in
respect of carriage of goods and passengers by sea, which is a recast of the original Council
Directive 95/64/EC of 8 December 1995.

15
The results shown are calculated on the basis of dataset A1 (C1 for statistics on containers in
volume terms): this means that data refer, in principle, only to main ports (ports handling more
than 1 million tonnes of goods annually).

Data are collected at level of statistical ports.

In some countries, the sometimes numerous very small ports are grouped for practical statistical
reasons under a notional statistical port ("other ports").

"Gross weight of goods" means the tonnage of goods carried, including packaging but excluding
the tare weight of containers or Ro-Ro units.

Ro-Ro units as presented in this article include both "self-propelled roll-on/roll-off units" and
"non-self-propelled roll-on/roll-off units".

The following sea regions have been taken into account to group the SSS partner ports: Baltic
Sea; North Sea; Atlantic Ocean (including the English Channel and the Irish Sea); Mediterranean
Sea; Black Sea.

Ports located in Morocco–West Africa, Egypt–Red Sea, Israel–Red Sea and Russia–Barents and
White Seas are not part of SSS.

1. Baltic Sea:

 Danish ports below the Helsingborg–Korsør–Nyborg–Kolding line (including Helsingor).

 All ports of Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland as well as German and Russian ports on
the Baltic.
 The Swedish ports on the Baltic from Helsingborg (included).

2. North Sea:

 All ports of Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium as well as the ports of Germany on the North
Sea.
 Swedish ports on the North Sea from Helsingborg (excluded).
 Danish ports on north of the Helsingborg–Korsor–Nyborg–Kolding line and North Denmark
(excluding Helsingor). Faroe Islands.
 United Kingdom: ports on the east coast of Great Britain from Ramsgate (included) to Cape
Wrath in Scotland, the Shetland Islands and Orkney Islands.

3. Atlantic Ocean:

 United Kingdom: ports of Great Britain on the Channel (from Ramsgate excluded) and the west
coast to Cape Wrath in Scotland; ports in Northern Ireland.
 All ports of Ireland, Portugal (including Açores and Madeira) and Iceland.
 French ports on the Atlantic Ocean and on the Channel, up to the Belgian border.
 Spanish ports on the Atlantic Ocean to Tarifa (included); Canary Islands are included.

16
4. Mediterranean Sea:

 Spanish ports on the Mediterranean from Tarifa (excluded).

 French ports on the Mediterranean.
 All ports of Malta, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece,
Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Occupied Palestinian territory, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Gibraltar.
 Ports of Morocco, Egypt and Israel on the Mediterranean.
 Ports of Turkey on the Mediterranean (including the ports on the Bosporus).

5. Black Sea:

 The Black Sea ports excluding the ports on the Bosporus.

6. Others:

 Non-identified ports of Denmark, Germany, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Israel, Morocco,
Russia, Sweden, Turkey and Egypt; river ports of EU countries.

Other seaborne transport includes “deep sea shipping” and transport with unidentified partner
ports (“unknown”) – see specific notes for Cyprus and Romania.

EU-27 figures refer to a total of 22 Member States. Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Hungary,
Austria and Slovakia have no seaports.

Country-specific remarks

No specific remarks for Bulgaria (BG), Denmark (DK), Germany (DE), Estonia (EE), Greece
(EL), Slovenia (SI), Finland (FI), Sweden (SE), Croatia (HR), Norway (NO) and Turkey (TR).

Belgium (BE)

Data provided by Antwerpen on number of containers were under-estimated until the 2nd quarter
of 2004. As a consequence the Belgium data on volume of containers (Table 9) are also under-
estimated until the 2nd quarter of 2004. According to the methodology, data for the port of
Antwerpen include only the Lo-Lo (Lift-on/Lift-off) containers and exclude containers on Ro-Ro
units.

Ireland (IE)

Detailed data to be used for this publication (datasets A1 and C1) are available for Rosslare
starting from 2009. In 2008, this port accounted for approximately 5 % of the total tonnage
handled in Irish ports.

Spain (ES)

17
Data include Ceuta and Melilla. Only data for the "central government ports" (Puertos del
Estado) are reported: data for ports under the control of “regional governments” are missing. As
a consequence the share of SSS in total transport may be under-estimated.

France (FR)

Taking into account the definition of SSS, data do not include the French overseas territories
(Départements d’Outre Mer/Collectivités d’Outre Mer).

Italy (IT)

In 2005, data collection methods were partly modified. Data for 2009 for some Italian ports have
a better coverage than in previous periods, due to a change in data checking and compilation,
including the integration of additional results, based also on the use of supplementary sources of
information; and to the gradual introduction of a new methodology in data collection. In
addition, data for some ports (for ex. Napoli and Brindisi) are under-estimated for the 4th quarter
2008.

Cyprus (CY)

The data reported by Cyprus contain a significant share of declarations to and from unknown
ports: 58 % in 2010, 61 % in 2009, 60 % in 2008, 59 % in 2007, 68 % in 2006, 44 % in 2005 and
63 % in 2004. This has several consequences: the volume of SSS and its share in total seaborne
transport are probably underestimated, growth rates of SSS between consecutive years may not
be reliable. The same is also applicable to container statistics (Table 9), where the share of
"unknown locations" is 64 % in 2010, 68 % in 2009, 66 % in 2008, 67 % in 2007, 61 % in 2006,
58 % in 2005 and 23 % in 2004.

Latvia (LV)

No detailed data reported on partner ports for 2002 and 2003.

Lithuania (LT)

No national maritime data reported.

Malta (MT)

No national maritime data reported.

Netherlands (NL)

No national maritime data reported since 2001 (only Customs data are provided).

Poland (PL)

18
Poland did not report detailed data on partner ports for 2003 and the first two quarters of 2004:
the volume of Polish SSS for 2004 is thus under-estimated by about 50 % and the 2004–2005
growth rate is over estimated.

Portugal (PT)

Data include Açores and Madeira. The data reported by Portugal contain a significant share of
declarations to and from unknown ports in 2009 (13 %), while this percentage was lower in
previous years (0 % in 2008). This has several consequences: the volume of SSS and its share in
total seaborne transport are probably under estimated, growth rates of SSS between consecutive
years may not be reliable.

Romania (RO)

The data reported by Romania contain a significant share of declarations to and from unknown
ports: 6 % in 2010, 7 % in 2009, 13 % in 2008, 27 % in 2007, 21 % in 2006, 15 % in 2005 and
10 % in 2004. This has several consequences: the volume of SSS and its share in total seaborne
transport are probably underestimated, growth rates of SSS between consecutive years may not
be reliable, in particular the decrease between 2008 and 2009 is probably underestimated. The
same is more specifically applicable to container statistics (Table 9), where the share of
"unknown locations" is 50 % in 2010, 46 % in 2009, 53 % in 2008, 95 % in 2007, 84 % in 2006,
73 % in 2005 and 58 % in 2004.

United Kingdom (UK)

Port installations located on the Tees estuary report as ‘Tees & Hartlepool’. Both are located on
the east coast (North Sea) of the United Kingdom. Forth refers to port installations located in the
Firth of Forth, close to Edinburgh.

Other issues

All the results shown in this publication are calculated on the basis of the statistics declared by
main ports vis-à-vis their partner ports.

In order to estimate the transport of goods by sea (between ports), the problem of "double
counting" (the transport of the same cargo of goods is declared by both the port of loading – as
outwards – and the port of unloading – as inwards) has to be addressed.

Where both the port of loading and the port of unloading provided data, only the incoming goods
declared by ports were added together to determine the total transport on the maritime route in
question ("elimination of double counting"). The algorithm for the elimination of double
counting is applied at statistical port level.

The total SSS per country excludes the double counting of national transport declarations. The
total SSS for the EU-27 excludes the double counting of national and international intra-EU
transport declarations. The aggregates ("total") per country may therefore differ from the sum of

19
inwards and outwards declarations. The aggregates for the EU-27 may therefore differ from the
sum of inwards and outwards declarations and also from the sum of the countries' figures.

For this reason, for example in Table 1, the figures for EU-27 may differ from the sum of the
countries' figures. As a consequence, in order to estimate the share of each country in the total
EU-27 SSS, the sum of the countries' figures is used as denominator (instead of the figure for the
EU-27 aggregate).

Figure 1: The "other seaborne transport" includes the data for which the ports of loading or
unloading are unknown. It should be noticed that in 2010 the share of unknown partner ports in
the total seaborne transport is less than 4 % for all countries except Cyprus (58 %) and Romania
(6 %), the EU-27 average being 1.4 % (it was 1.9 % in 2009).

Table 1: In this table double counting has been treated also at sea region level. Where both the
port of origin and the port of destination provided data, and where both ports belong to the same
country and the same sea region, only the incoming goods declared by each were added. For this
reason the total obtained in Table 1 by adding the figures for sea regions at country level may
differ from the "total" shown in the last column (where double counting has been treated only at
country level). The same applies at EU level. As a consequence the percentages shown in Figure
2 are calculated using as denominator the sum of the figures for sea regions at EU-27 level as
shown in Table 1 (instead of the "total" for the EU-27).

Figure 3 and Table 3: "Other cargo" also includes "type of cargo unknown".

Tables 4 to 8: The "other seaborne transport" includes the data for which the ports of loading or
unloading are unknown. It should be noted that in 2010 the share of unknown partner ports in the
total seaborne transport is less than 2 % for all the mentioned ports. The "Total EU-27 ports"
aggregate is simply the sum of inwards and outwards declarations of individual ports (no
elimination of double counting), except transport movements within the same statistical port.

Special symbols used in the tables

 ":" Not available

 Mio Million

Some structural changes in data collection implemented in 2006 may have an impact on the
comparability of data between 2005 and 2006.

In 2006, data concerning transport to/from Russian ports located on the Barents and White Seas
started being collected separately. Transport to/from these ports is not included in the definition
of SSS. In 2005 (and previous years), in some cases, these data had probably been included in
Russian maritime coastal areas, which are part of the definition of SSS. The impact of this
structural change would be an under estimation of the SSS growth rates between 2005 and 2006,
that could be roughly estimated as follows: BE 1.3, DE 0.3, NL 3.0, EU-27 0.5 percentage
points. This means that, if the assumptions and estimates above are correct, for example, the

20
growth rate for the EU-27 SSS would be about +2.0 % (instead of +1.5 %) between 2005 and
2006.

This structural change has been applied by France only in 2007 and may imply an under
estimation of the SSS growth rates between 2006 and 2007, that could be roughly estimated as
follows: FR 0.6 and EU-27 0.1 percentage point. This means that, if the assumptions and
estimates above are correct, for example the growth rate of SSS between 2006 and 2007 would
be about +0.1 % (instead of -0.5 %, as shown in Table 2) for FR and +1.6 % (instead of +1.5 %)
for EU-27.

Eurostat is the source of all the figures included in this publication. The figures reflect the data
available in Eurostat’s reference database as of March 2012.

Context

The content of this statistical article is based on data collected within the framework of the EU
maritime transport statistics Directive (Directive 2009/42/EC of 6 May 2009 on statistical returns
in respect of carriage of goods and passengers by sea), which is a recast of the original Council
Directive 95/64/EC of 8 December 1995.

The basic legal act (Directive 2009/42/EC) was amended by:

 Commission Decision 2010/216/EC of the EP and of the Council of 14 April 2010 OJ L 94 of

15.4.2010 pp. 33-40
 Regulation 1090/2010 of the EP and of the Council of 24 November 2010 OJ L 325 of 09.12.2010
pp. 1-3

The following legal acts include respectively the last official version of the list of ports and some
dissemination aspects:

 Directive 2009/42/EC of 6 May 2009 on statistical returns in respect of carriage of goods and
passengers by sea (Recast)
 Commission Decision 2008/861/EC of 29 October 2008 (codified version) (Port list) OJ L 306 of
15.11.2008 pp. 66-97

Further Eurostat information

Publications

 All transport publications on line

 The Netherlands emerged as the largest maritime freight country in the EU - Statistics in focus
12/2012

21
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

Methodology / Metadata

 Maritime transport (ESMS metadata file - mar_esms)

Source data for tables, figures and maps on this page (MS Excel)

 Download Excel file

Other information

 Illustrated Glossary for Transport Statistics - 4th edition

 Commission Decision 2008/861/EC of 29 October 2008 on rules for implementing Council
Directive 95/64/EC (notified under document number C(2008) 6203) (Codified version)
 Directive 2009/42/EC of 6 May 2009 on statistical returns in respect of carriage of goods and
passengers by sea (Recast)
 Commission Decision 2010/216/EC of 14 April amending Directive 2009/42/EC
 Regulation 1090/2010 of 24 November 2010 amending Directive 2009/42/EC

See also

 Freight transport statistics

 Maritime ports freight and passenger statistics
 Maritime transport of goods - quarterly data
 Maritime transport statistics at regional level
 Passenger transport statistics

22