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Maritime Statistics 2003

Maritime Statistics 2003 provides a substantial compilation of statistics about passenger and freight traffic through the ports of the United Kingdom (Part A), and about ships owned or registered in the United Kingdom, and about the world fleet (Part B). This is the latest volume of an annual publication, which has been produced by the Department for over twenty years.

The current system for collecting detailed port freight traffic statistics was introduced in 2000 to meet the requirements of an EC Maritime Statistics Directive (Council Directive 95/64/EC). Under this system, shipping lines or their agents supply detailed quarterly returns of traffic loaded or unloaded at UK major ports (generally those ports with at least 1 million tonnes of traffic a year), which includes information about the port of origin or destination in the UK or elsewhere in the world, cargo categories, gross weight and numbers of units, and ship details. Major ports also supply quarterly totals of inwards and outwards traffic. Details of the data collection system are given in Appendix A.

For this year's report, we have doubled the number of individual countries listed as trading with major UK ports in Table 1.8 separately identifying the countries that acceded to the EU on 1 May 2004. We have also added two tables of historic passenger statistics in section 4 and included a map indicating the size of traffic through larger UK ports in the introductory section.

The merchant fleet statistics in Part B are based on Lloyd's Register-Fairplay data supplied to the Department and contain tables of vessels of 100 gross tons and over. There are individual sections on vessels owned by UK companies, vessels registered in the United Kingdom and the Crown Dependencies, and on the world fleet.

We would welcome suggestions for changes to Maritime Statistics that would help to improve its usefulness. Please contact Jeremy Grove, Zone 2/29 Great Minster House, London SW1P 4DR (telephone: 020 7944 4441; email: jeremy.grove@dft.gov.uk )

Copies of earlier editions of Maritime Statistics are also available from The Stationery Office.

For related documents, pages and internet links, see the column on the right.