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SCOTTISH TRANSPORT STATISTICS: No 21

Chapter 10 WATER TRANSPORT

1. Introduction

1.1 This chapter provides information about foreign and domestic freight traffic at Scottish ports and inland waterways by type of freight. There are also statistics on passengers and vehicles carried by Caledonian MacBrayne, P&O Scottish Ferries, Orkney Ferries and some of the other ferry services operating in Scotland.

1.2 It should be noted that some of the statistics for 2000 in tables 10.1 to 10.8 of this chapter will not be comparable with the figures for earlier years. From 2000, the Department for Transport (DfT - then the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions [DTLR]) changed its method for compiling detailed port traffic statistics in the UK, in order to comply with the requirements of a new EC Maritime Statistics Directive. Previously, data were collected from port authorities, but from 2000 detailed data are now collected from shipping lines, operators or shipping agents. Major ports (now defined as those with cargo volumes of over 1 million tonnes) are now required to supply only summary information, and minor ports provide only the total weights of inward and outward cargo.

1.3 This new method of collection should provide more reliable geographic information for foreign, coastwise and one-port traffic. However, it has also changed the way in which some of the traffic is classified, affecting the figures for "one-port " and "coastwise" traffic, and the split between "domestic" and "foreign" traffic. For example, oil that was shipped from an oil rig in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea had been previously recorded as a foreign import, but under the new system is not separately identified and is included in "one-port" traffic. In addition, because the new system classifies "coastwise" and "one-port" traffic more accurately, there are apparent falls in the figures for "coastwise" traffic between 1999 and 2000. Details of the new method of compiling the statistics, and notes on the effect of the classification changes are given in sections 3.1 and 4.2 to 4.4.

1.4 The changes should not have affected the overall total volume of traffic (inward or outward) for any port: what has changed has been the classification by "one-port " and "coastwise" traffic, and the distinction between "domestic" and "foreign" traffic. It should also be noted that DfT introduced a revised recording system in 2002, and hopes to make some revisions to the statistics for 2000 in due course.

1.5 A different breakdown of traffic by commodity is available from the new method of collection. As a result, Table 10.5 shows fewer categories than before (those which can be derived from both the old and the new classifications), and the breakdown by commodity in Table 10.7 differs greatly from that published in previous years.

1.6 The other main change in this edition is the inclusion of a second part of Table 10.1, which gives the figures which are available for waterborne freight discharged in Scotland.

2. Main Points

2.1 In 2000, a total of 99.4 million tonnes of freight was recorded as being lifted by water transport in Scotland: 24.7 million tonnes of "coastwise" traffic to other ports in the United Kingdom (including some in Scotland), 1.5 million tonnes of "one port" traffic to offshore installations, and 73.2 million tonnes of exports from the major Scottish ports. Only 12.2 million tonnes of waterborne freight was carried for part of its journey on inland waterways in 2000. (Table 10.1[a])

2.2 The total amount of coastwise traffic lifted in Scotland appears to fall by over 10 million tonnes in 2000. This is because the previous method of compiling the statistics over-estimated the amount of coastwise crude oil traffic in 1999 and earlier years: DfT believes that the figures for 2000 are much more accurate - see paragraph 3.1.6. (Table 10.1[a])

2.3 Exports through Scottish ports rose steadily from about 48 million tonnes in 1990 to a peak of around 76 million tonnes in 1994, fell to some 58 million tonnes in 1997, then rose again to 73 million tonnes in 2000. However, it should be noted that these increases and decreases are affected by changes in the basis of the statistics: the figures for 1995 and later years cover only exports through major ports (see section 4.3.2). While seven ports were counted as major ports in 1995 and 1996, there were eight in 1997 and 1998, nine in 1999 and 11 in 2000. Therefore, the figures for 1995 onwards are not directly comparable with those for earlier years. (Table 10.1[a])

2.4 In 2000, a total of 6.9 million tonnes of coastwise freight was discharged in Scotland: considerably less than the amount that was lifted in Scotland. 14.6 million tonnes of "one-port" traffic (all from oil rigs) was discharged in Scotland, the apparent increase of about 11 million tonnes being due to the change in the method of compiling the statistics. Imports totalled 8.0 million tonnes, considerably less than the volume of exports. There are no figures for the amount of inland waterway traffic which is discharged in Scotland. (Table 10.1[b])

2.5 The total amount of waterborne freight of all types (coastwise, one port and foreign traffic; both incoming and outgoing) passing through the ports rose by only 0.3% in 2000 to 131 million tonnes, however this was 34% more than in 1990. These comparisons of the total volume of traffic are unaffected by the change in the method of compiling the statistics. However, a breakdown between "foreign" and "domestic" traffic has been collected only for the "major" ports since 1995. In 2000, the eleven major ports accounted for 97% of the total traffic through Scottish ports. The information that is available for them shows that over half of the total freight through Scottish ports was exports, and over a third is domestic traffic (either coastwise or one port) which is outward bound. The levels of imports, and incoming domestic freight, are much lower. (Table 10.2)

2.6 The ports with the largest amounts of traffic are Forth (around 41 million tonnes of traffic in 2000), Sullom Voe (38 million tonnes) and Orkney (23 million tonnes). The Forth total was almost double the 1990 figure, due to a very large increase between 1993 and 1994. Orkney has seen the amount of freight traffic increase from 8.6 million tonnes in 1990 to almost 23 million tonnes in 2000. Ayr, on the other hand, had 77% less traffic than in 1990. Again, as these figures are for the total volume of traffic, they are unaffected by the change in the method of compiling the statistics. (Table 10.3)

2.7 Bulk fuel accounted for 108.3 million tonnes (83%) of the total traffic through major Scottish ports in 2000. (Table 10.4)

2.8 The main ports for exports in 2000 were Forth (28 million tonnes), Sullom Voe (26 million tonnes) and Orkney (14 million tonnes). Clyde (3.4 million tonnes) and Forth (2.7 million tonnes) together accounted for almost all the imports. Forth (9.3 million tonnes) and Sullom Voe (5.7 million tonnes) had most outward domestic traffic; Orkney (7.0 million tonnes) and Sullom Voe (6.0 million tonnes) were the main ports for inwards domestic traffic. (Table 10.6)

2.9 The main types of traffic through the major ports in 2000 were crude oil (89 million tonnes), oil products (11.6 million tonnes), other dry bulk (7.6 million tonnes), liquefied gas (4.1 million tonnes) and coal (3.7 million tonnes). (Table 10.7)

2.10 The total number of road goods vehicles and containers passing through Scottish ports, and the weight of freight that they carried, increased by around 37% and 26% respectively between 1990 and 2000. (Table 10.8)

2.11 Inland waterway traffic mainly comprises those parts of coastwise, one-port and foreign traffic that are carried on inland waterways. About 12.2 million tonnes of freight were lifted in Scotland and carried on inland waterways in 2000, slightly above the level of most of the past ten years (when the total was usually between 10 and 12 million tonnes). Most of the inland waterway traffic was carried on the Forth. (Table 10.9)

2.12 In 2000, 501,000 vehicles and 2.5 million passengers were carried on ferry services between Scotland and Northern Ireland, the busiest Scottish port for traffic to and from Northern Ireland being Stranraer, which accounted for about three fifths of the total. (Table 10.11)

2.13 Caledonian MacBrayne ferries carried 4.8 million passengers in 2001, 34,000 (0.7%) more than in the previous year. There were 965,000 cars carried, 48,000 (5%) more than in 2000, and 86,000 commercial vehicles, 2,000 (2%) fewer than in 2000. The changes over the past ten years in Caledonian MacBrayne's figures were affected greatly by the withdrawal of the Kyle-Kyleakin service in 1995, when the Skye Bridge opened: for example, total passenger numbers fell from 6.4 million in 1991 to 4.8 million in 2001. However, if the Kyle-Kyleakin service is excluded, the total number of passengers on all of the other services fell by only 122,400 (2%), from just over 4.9 million in 1991 to 4.8 million in 2001 - and most of this reduction is due to another operator taking over the Gourock-Kilcreggan route (which had 72,500 passengers in 2000) with effect from 2001. (Tables 10.12 and 10.13)

2.14 The number of passengers carried by P&O Scottish Ferries in 2001 was 208,000, 31,000 (13%) fewer than in 2000, and 25,000 (11%) fewer than in 1991. Orkney Ferries services carried 285,000 passengers in 2001, 7,000 (2.5%) more than in the previous year and 66% more than in 1991, when only 172,000 passengers were carried. (Table 10.12)

2.15 In 2001, the total number of passengers carried on Caledonian MacBrayne, P&O Scottish Ferries, and Orkney Ferries services was 5.3 million. Caledonian MacBrayne accounted for 91% of the total passenger numbers on all these services. Overall, revenue from users was about twice the amount of subsidy for Caledonian MacBrayne, one and a half times greater than the amount of subsidy for P&O Scottish Ferries but revenue from Orkney Ferries was only two-fifths of the amount of subsidy. (Table 10.12)

2.16 Shetland Islands Council services carried 676,000 passengers in 2001, only slightly more than the previous year. There were 275,000 cars carried which was 11,000 (4%) more than in 2000. The equivalent figures for 1990 are not available. (Table 10.12)

2.17 Caledonian MacBrayne’s busiest route in terms of passengers in 2001 was Wemyss Bay-Rothesay, with 708,000 passengers, a 4% increase on the previous year, and an 7% increase on 1991. Wemyss Bay-Rothesay was also the company's busiest route for car traffic in 2001 with nearly 136,000 car crossings, an increase of 7.6% over the previous year. (Table 10.13)

2.18 Of Orkney Ferries' services, the one between Kirkwall and Westray / Stronsay has shown the most rapid growth, with the number of passengers rising from 26,500 in 1990 to 87,500 in 2001. (Table 10.14)

2.19 In 2001, the Western Ferries service between Gourock and Dunoon carried 1,129,000 passengers, 52,000 (5%) more than in the previous year. The equivalent figures for ten years earlier are not directly comparable because of a change in the way in which passenger numbers are counted. The number of cars carried on this route was 482,000, an increase of 31,000 (7%) from 2000, and was 173,000 (56%) more than the number carried in 1991. (Table 10.14)

2.20 The service between Toft and Ulsta had the largest number of passengers of all the Shetland Islands Council services in 2001, with 216,100 in 2001, 5,100 (2%) more than in 2000. Equivalent figures for ten years earlier are not available. (Table 10.14)

2.21 HM Coastguard in Scotland rescued 890 people in 2001. 84 lives were lost. (Table 10.15)

3. Notes and Definitions

3.1 The change in the Department for Transport's method of compiling statistics of port traffic with effect from 2000

3.1.1 The then DTLR introduced a new data collection system for maritime traffic from 2000. As a result, some data for 2000 are not directly comparable with previous years. The reason for the change was to comply with a new EC Maritime Statistics Directive (Council Directive 95/64/EC on statistical returns in respect of the carriage of goods and passengers by sea).

3.1.2 One of the effects of this change is that some data for 2000, principally coastwise and one-port crude oil traffic, and the inland waters penetration of such traffic, are not directly comparable with information for previous years. However, the overall totals are unaffected.

3.1.3 Previously, all freight information was collected from ports annually. Major ports (generally those with cargo volumes of at least 2 million tonnes a year) were asked for detailed information on weight of traffic in and out of their ports, identifying cargo categories (eg liquid bulks, dry bulks, containers, Roll on -Roll off etc), and whether they were foreign, coastwise or one port cargoes. Other ("minor") ports were required to provide only total weight of cargo inwards and outwards.

3.1.4 In the new collection system, most of the detailed freight information is collected from shipping lines, operators or shipping agents, which are required to supply detailed returns of their inwards and outwards traffic at each major port for each ship, on each route. Major ports (now defined as those with at least 1 million tonnes of cargo a year) are only required to supply summary information (for use as control totals) while other ("minor") ports continue to provide just the total weight of cargo inwards and outwards.

3.1.5 One of the main differences between the data for 2000 and previous years concerns crude oil from the North Sea oil fields. All shipments of crude oil from North Sea oil fields in 2000, whether from the UK sector or foreign sectors, have been recorded as "one-port traffic". In the previous collection system, one-port traffic was restricted to traffic with UK offshore installations, and traffic with non-UK installations was treated as imports (eg. crude oil transported from North Sea oil platforms in the Norwegian sector). Any comparisons of Table 10.1(b) statistics for inward-bound one-port traffic between 2000 and earlier years would be affected by this difference in treatment. (NB: the other "one-port" figures - in Table 10.1(a) - are for freight lifted in Scotland, so are unaffected by the change since they relate to traffic to the rigs, not from the rigs.) However, the change does affect the split between "domestic" and foreign" traffic shown in some tables, because "domestic" traffic includes "one-port" traffic. The change has therefore increased the figure for "domestic" traffic, and reduced the figure for "foreign" traffic, compared with previous years.

3.1.6 Another difference affects both coastwise and one-port crude oil estimates from 2000. The new collection arrangements produce much more reliable data on origins and destinations and (when aggregated) coastwise, one-port and foreign traffic summaries. Previously, this information was estimated by ports, with varying degrees of accuracy, particularly for crude oil traffic, which means that origins and destinations for crude oil data in 1999 and earlier years are approximate only. For example, in the previous system, ports or refinery operators would not necessarily have been able to tell if crude oil was shipped directly from the UK offshore installation, or piped to a land terminal such as Sullom Voe and then shipped out from the land terminal, or if it was imported from a North Sea country or another foreign crude oil producer. As a consequence, it is likely that in 1999 and earlier years, coastwise crude oil estimates have been overestimated and one-port traffic correspondingly underestimated. This leads to the figures for "coastwise" traffic lifted in Scotland falling substantially in 2000 compared with 1999.

Definitions

3.2 Coastwise traffic: traffic between ports of the United Kingdom, excluding traffic between a UK port and either the sea bed or an off-shore installation. It should be noted that Table 10.1(a) covers only freight lifted in Scotland, and therefore its figures for coastwise traffic exclude cargoes arriving from other UK ports; Table 10.1(b) covers freight discharged in Scotland, so includes cargoes arriving from other UK ports (including those elsewhere in Scotland).

3.3 One port traffic: traffic between the sea bed or an offshore installation and a UK port. For example, it includes traffic to and from offshore installations, materials shipped for dumping at sea, and dredged sand and gravel etc landed at a port for commercial purposes. The disappearance of the "sea dumped" traffic is due to the end of sewage dumping at sea. It should be noted that Table 10.1(a) covers only freight lifted in Scotland: Table 10.1(b) contains figures for the one port traffic arriving from offshore installations and any incoming sea dredged aggregates. For 1999 and earlier years, traffic with non-UK offshore installations was classified as "foreign" traffic. Oil transported from North Sea oil platforms in the Norwegian sector was treated as "imports" rather than as "one-port" traffic. From 2000 such shipments were recorded as "one-port" traffic, which therefore shows a large increase in Table 10.1(b).

3.4 Domestic traffic: in the statistics of traffic through the ports, "domestic" traffic comprises coastwise traffic plus one port traffic. The recording of shipments of crude oil from non-UK North Sea oil fields changed with effect from 2000 (as described earlier), leading to an increase in the figures for "domestic" traffic and a reduction in the figures for "foreign" traffic.

3.5 Foreign traffic: traffic between ports in the United Kingdom and other countries.

3.6 Inland waterways: in general, waterways bounded by the furthest point downstream which is less than both 3 km wide at low tide and 5 km wide at high tide (spring). However, this definition is not applied strictly: for example, the definition is "relaxed", where necessary, in order not to count, as inland waterway traffic, short-haul shipping movements of foreign and coastwise traffic, such as all sea-going traffic to or from major seaboard ports.

3.7 Inland waters traffic: subdivides into "coastwise", "one port" and "foreign" (in each case, that part of the traffic that is carried upstream of the inland waters "boundary", excluding "short haul" inland movements of sea-going traffic) and "internal" (i.e. not sea-going) traffic. All passenger and passenger vehicle ferry services are excluded, such as "crossing" movements (e.g. Gourock-Dunoon) and coastwise ferries entering sheltered waters (e.g. Loch Ryan, on services between Stranraer or Cairnryan and Northern Ireland).

3.8 Tonne-kilometres: where part of a voyage is on an inland waters and part is at sea, account is taken of the "inland waterway boundary", so that, in the case of traffic involving "inland" ports, there is no double-counting of tonne-kilometres between the figures for "inland waters" and the figures for "coastwise", "one port" and "foreign" traffic. (This is in contrast to the double-counting of some of the figures for tonnage - for example, if a voyage to another UK port starts on a Scottish inland waterway in Scotland, the tonnage would be counted in the figures for both "inland waters" and "coastwise" traffic.)

3.9 Container and roll-on traffic: includes all traffic carried on special container and roll-on vessels, as well as the container traffic carried on conventional services.

3.10 "Main Freight Units" comprise containers, road goods vehicles, unaccompanied trailers, rail wagons, shipborne port to port trailers and shipborne barges only. In previous years, Table 10.8 also included other traffic on roll-on services (ie "non-unit" traffic) such as vehicles for import/export and other goods traffic. However, DfT has revised the series, which now relates only to the goods carried by main freight units, and excludes other traffic, and previous years' figures have been revised accordingly (see Maritime Statistics Table 2.3).

3.11 Persons assisted: Coastguard statistics relating to persons given assistance do not include people who are rescued.

4. Sources

4.1 Most of the data in this section is supplied by the Department for Transport (DfT - formerly DTLR). The Scottish Executive obtains shipping service information from Caledonian MacBrayne, P&O Scottish Ferries, Orkney Ferries and some of the other operators of shipping and ferry services.

4.2 Waterborne Freight Lifted in Scotland (Table 10.1)

4.2.1 Statistics of waterborne freight (coastwise traffic, one port traffic and inland waters traffic) are compiled by MDS-Transmodal Ltd under contract to the Department for Transport.

4.2.2 A number of data sources are used to determine the level of coastwise traffic, including the tonnage of goods reported in the port traffic statistics, (see below) and other surveys, and information about vessel movements. (The vessel movement data include the Northern Ireland, Orkney and Shetland ferry services, but exclude ferries operated by Caledonian MacBrayne and others in and around the Western Isles.) The pattern of coastwise shipping flows, by port and commodity group, is represented by origin and destination matrices, and combined with Admiralty information about the distances between ports. Where appropriate, account is taken of the "inland waters boundary", so that there is no double-counting of tonne-kilometres between inland waters and coastwise shipping, in the case of traffic involving "inland" ports. The method which is used to derive the statistics of coastwise shipping involves some adjustments and reclassifications. As a result, the totals that it produces do not match the port traffic statistics for reasons which are described in the DfT Statistical Bulletin "Waterborne Freight in the United Kingdom".

4.2.3 The principal sources for the statistics of one-port traffic are the port statistics (see section 4.3 below) and information about the distances between the ports and the "at sea" origins and destinations of the traffic, such as offshore installations and dumping grounds.

4.2.4 The sources of the inland waterway statistics are described in section 4.4 below.

4.3 Traffic at Scottish Ports (Tables 10.2 to 10.8)

4.3.1 A new system for collecting detailed port traffic statistics was introduced in 2000 to comply with the requirements of an EC Maritime Statistics Directive. Annual traffic returns are made by shipping lines or their agents and port authorities. This information has been used to derive data on coastal and one-port traffic, and on the inland waters penetration of such traffic. From 1 January 2000, shipping lines or their agents are required to supply detailed statistics of foreign, coastwise and one-port traffic for all cargoes loaded or unloaded at major UK ports. "Major" ports are now defined as those ports with cargo volumes of at least one million tonnes in the previous year, plus a few smaller ports. The major ports handled 97 per cent of total port traffic in 2000. In addition, port authorities at the major ports are required to supply inwards and outwards control totals for each cargo category. For all other ports, the port authorities are required to supply just two figures: total inwards and total outwards traffic. The lack of detailed statistics for these minor ports means that a degree of approximation is required in the statistics for their traffic. For more details about the new data collection system, see DfT's publication ‘Maritime Statistics 2000’

4.3.2 For 1999 and earlier years, the port traffic statistics were produced, for the most part, from the records made by each port authority of the dues levied on goods passing through the port (supplemented, in some cases, by figures supplied by others).

4.3.3 From 1995 to 1999, the smaller ports (then defined as, generally, those with less than 2 million tonnes of traffic per year) were not required to supply detailed statistics - they provided only two figures, for the total amounts of their "inwards" and "outwards" traffic. Full details of freight traffic were collected only for those ports with at least 2 million tonnes of cargo in the previous year (and for a few ports with less traffic): these were called the ‘major’ ports. In the 1995 and 1996 surveys, there were seven ‘major’ ports in Scotland: Aberdeen, Clyde, Cromarty Firth, Forth, Glensanda (on Loch Linnhe, south-west of Fort William, which exports crushed granite, which is classified in the statistics as "crude minerals"), Orkney, and Sullom Voe. In the 1997 and 1998 surveys, there were eight: these seven plus Cairnryan, which was counted as a major port because its 1996 return of its "inwards" and "outwards" totals had shown that its traffic exceeded 2 million tonnes in 1996. In 1999 the number of 'major' ports increased from eight to nine, since total traffic at Peterhead had exceeded 2 million tonnes in 1998. In 2000, with the introduction of the new definition of a "major" port (at least 1 million tonnes), Stranraer and Dundee became "major" ports, bringing the total in Scotland to 11.

4.4 Inland Waterways (Tables 10.9 and 10.10)

4.4.1 Statistics for internal traffic (ie traffic which is wholly within inland waters) are collected directly by DfT's contractor, MDS-Transmodal, from all known operators using personal interviews and postal questionnaires, supplemented by statistics from British Waterways collected primarily for toll levying purposes. Some information is also drawn from Maritime Statistics Directive returns where traffic is classified as internal movements and these traffic movements are then excluded from other traffic estimates to avoid duplication. For traffic moving to and from the open sea, the figures for inland waterway tonne-kilometres are calculated using information about the distances from each inland waterway "boundary" to the ports and wharves which are upstream of the boundary.

4.5 Shipping Services (Tables 10.11 to 10.14)

4.5.1 The Scottish Executive obtains shipping service information from DfT (in respect of the services between Scotland and Northern Ireland). The Scottish Executive writes directly to Caledonian MacBrayne, P&O Scottish Ferries, Orkney Ferries and the other major ferry operators in Scotland for the required information.

4.6 HM Coastguard Statistics (Table 10.15)

4.6.1 Statistics on search and rescue operations are obtained from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

5. Further Information

5.1 Further information on UK water transport statistics can be found in the annual DfT publications "Maritime Statistics", "Waterborne Freight in the UK" and "Transport Statistics Great Britain".

5.2 For further information on water freight transport statistics contact Mr John Ryan, Department for Transport (tel: 0207 944 4443).

5.3 For further information on shipping services in Scotland contact Mr Scott Brand, The Scottish Executive Transport Statistics Branch (tel: 0131 244 7255)

5.4 For further information on HM Coastguard statistics contact Mr W Smith, Maritime and Coastguard Agency (tel: 023 8032 9416)

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