PORT STATISTICS

At its third session, the Committee on Shipping requested the UNCTAD secretariat "to give priority, within its current work programme on ports, to its work on port statistics and to produce a comprehensive guide to the collection and use of port statistics for administrative and analytical purposes essential for the improvement of ports". This priority is justified because accurate and up-to-date information and statistics are essential tools for effective management of ports, as of any other enterprise. Modern methods developed to improve either port operations or port planning also need large amounts of statistical information. The present manual is an attempt to advise port authorities on what data should be recorded and how to collect and present them. At this stage, it has not seemed advisable to suggest the complete standardization of port statistics, because it is acknowledged that all statistical requirements of all ports are not identical, owing to the great variety of legal, administrative and organizational circumstances in which information and statistical systems have to be established and operated. General principles are suggested in connection with the ways of collecting and presenting port statistics, in order to facilitate, inter alia, port to port comparisons, both at national and international level. Such comparisons are not only of value for broad analytical purpose, but also essential for any port's evaluation of its performance. They have therefore a very practical objective. In the first chapter, the various purposes of gathering information and statistical data on ports are discussed. This list of data goes beyond statistics as the term is generally understood, and covers management information in general. In the second chapter, the main types of port data are reviewed and their different uses are indicated. From this list, individual port authorities should be able to select those items which are of particular interest to them, in addition to those items suggested as a basic minimum which all ports should have. The third chapter deals with the collection and the presentation of port information and statistics. The main sources of data are indicated and several methods of collection are described, taking into account the fact that each port has to choose a method adapted to its requirements and resources. A selection of statistical returns is suggested, with an indication of their appropriate frequency.

• Corporate Authors:

  United Nations

  United Nations Plaza
  New York, NY  United States  10017
• Publication Date: 1971

Media Info

• Pagination: 40 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Costs; Port operations; Ports; Productivity; Statistics
• Uncontrolled Terms: Port finance
• Old TRIS Terms: Port statistics
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Finance; Marine Transportation; Terminals and Facilities;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00053702
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: United Nations
• Report/Paper Numbers: TD/B/C,4/79/REV. 1
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 26 1974 12:00AM