Methodology and Quality Update

Methodology and Quality last update   

20/08/2024

Statistical Presentation

Data description 

The Maritime Transport Statistics publication presents statistics and indicators on maritime transport traffic in Saudi Arabia.
The publication of Maritime Transport Statistics is as follows: A product for which data is collected through administrative records on the main characteristics as follows:
•    Vessels Traffic.
•    Passenger movement.
•    Cargo volume.
•    Export and import cargo quantities.
•    Containers traffic.
•    Infrastructure.
•    Port metrics and efficiency. 
•    Maritime safety.

Classification system

The following classifications are applied in the Maritime Transport Statistics:
The National Classification for Economic Activities (ISIC4):
 The statistical classification based on the International Standard of Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC4) is used to describe productive activities of an establishment. 
National Code of Countries and Nationalities (3166 ISO – codes Country):
A statistical classification based on the international standard (ISO 3166_Country codes), which is a standard issued by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO of the UN), and this classification gives numeric and literal codes for the world’s (248) countries, based on the classification of countries.  
Metadata are collected through registry data sources so that outputs can be produced in accordance with all relevant classifications.
The classifications are available on the GASTAT’s website:  www.stats.gov.sa

Sector coverage

The Maritime Transport Statistics publication covers all maritime transport activities in the Kingdom.

Statistical concepts and definitions

Terminologies and concepts of the Maritime Transport Statistics Publication:
•    Port:
A maritime facility comprising one or more wharves established on the coasts or shores of seas, oceans, rivers, or lakes, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Ports contain cranes, berths and stores for ships.
•    Vessels Traffic:
Traffic of marine vessels that transport all types of goods and passengers.
•    Terminal:
Operated by a carrier or terminal operator and contains goods handling equipment, canopies and other ground structures used in the loading, storage, transportation and unloading of goods or the arrival and boarding of passengers traveling through ports.
•    Goods Handling:
An operation or service provided by a port that is related to loading or unloading of goods
from ships.
•    Solid Bulk Cargo:
Any substance other than a liquid or a gas, consisting of a group of particles, granules, or
large pieces that is generally uniform in composition, that is loaded directly to the ship
cargo hold.
•    Liquid bulk cargo:
Any material that can flow freely and is usually loaded and unloaded from a ship using
pipelines and pumping stations.
•    General Cargo:
All goods except for motor vehicles and equipment, livestock, bulk cargo, and goods loaded
in containers, platforms or trailers.
•    Shipping Containers:
Cargo units with standard dimensions in which products and raw materials are shipped and
stored during the transport of goods by sea in specialized vessels.
•    Discharged cargo:
Goods that are unloaded from a commercial ship
•    Loaded cargo:
Goods that are placed on a commercial ship for maritime transport
•    RORO:
Wheeled cargo (rolling) such as trains and cars of various types that are transported via specialized ships and are not loaded in containers.
•    Livestock (in tons):
Weight of non-living livestock that have been unloaded or loaded and are chilled or frozen, including different types of meat and shipments.
•    Livestock (by number of heads):
Number of livestock that have been loaded or unloaded on special ships for live livestock
of all kinds.
•    Transshipment:
The process of handling containers and goods from ships to the port temporarily to transfer them later to their final destination through other ships.
•    Resto:
Unloading the container on the berth or on the same ship and re-stowing the container on
the same ship.
•    Port berths:
It is a structure or area built at the port where ships dock to unload their cargo or passengers, or to load them.
•    Ship mooring operations rolling rate:
Average time it takes for ship mooring from the time the ship arrives at the port and the pilot boards it until being moored to a dock and fixed by ropes. 
•    Ship rolling rate:
Average time a ship stays at the dock from the time its moorings are tied to the dock until its moorings are untied. 
•    Ship travel operations rolling rate:
Average time it takes for ship travel operations from the time the ship's ropes are untied
from the dock for travel until leaving the port and being boarded by a pilot. 
•    Crane productivity rate:
Average number of containers handled by one crane per hour by calculating the total
number of containers and the number of working hours for each crane.
•    Ship productivity rate: 
Average number of containers handled per ship per hour by calculating the total number
of containers and the number of working hours for each ship.
•    Truck rolling motion:
Average time where trucks stay inside the port to deliver or receive containers.
•    Container turnaround rate (incoming):
The average time incoming containers stay inside the port from the time they disembark from the ship to their exit through the port gates.
•    Container turnaround rate (outgoing):
The average time an outgoing container stays inside the port from the time it enters through the port gates to its boarding.
•    Ratio of transshipment containers to handling volume: 
Volume ratio of transshipment containers handled to total volume of handling.
•    Maritime ship accidents and operations of search and rescue:
Any accident is covered: During the normal operation of the ship, including when it is in port, at anchor, or in motion.
•    Death:
People who died at the time of the accident or who died within 30 days due to the accident. 

Statistical unit

Not applicable.

Statistical population

Not applicable.

Reference area

Ports in Saudi Arabia are:
•    Jeddah Islamic Port. 
•    King Abdulaziz Port (Dammam). 
•    King Fahd Industrial Port (Yanbu).
•    Jubail commercial port.
•    King Fahd Industrial Port (Jubail).
•    Yanbu Commercial Port.
•    Port of Jazan.
•    Port of NEOM.
•    King Abdullah Port.
•    Port of Ras Al-Khair.

Time coverage

The data is available for some indicators as a time series from 2018 to 2023.

Base period

Not applicable. 

Unit of measure

•    Most results are measured by numbers (such as: Number of passengers, number of berths, number of terminal).
•    Some indicators are calculated in tons (e.g.: quantity of shipments, capacity).
•    Some results are measured in kilometres (e.g.: port area).

Reference period

Data from administrative records are based on the last day of the reference year. 

Confidentiality 

Confidentiality - policy

According to the Royal Decree No. 23 dated 07-12-1397, data must always be kept confidential, and must be used by GASTAT only for statistical purposes.
Therefore, the data are protected in the data servers of the Authority.

Confidentiality - data treatment

Data are displayed in appropriate tables to facilitate its summarization, comprehension, results extraction. comparison with other data and coming up with statistical connotations for the study community. It is also easier to check tables without the need to see any sensitive or confidential data, which violates the confidentiality of statistical data.

Release policy

Release calendar

The Maritime Transport Statistics Publication is included in the statistical calendar.

Release calendar access

Available on the:  https://www.stats.gov.sa/statistical-calendar-releases 

User access

One of GASTAT’s objectives is to better meet its clients' needs, so it immediately provides them with the publication’s results once the Maritime Transport Statistics Publication is published.
It also receives questions and inquiries from the clients about the Publication and its results through various communication channels, such as:
•    GASTAT’s official website: www.stats.gov.sa
•    GASTAT’s official e-mail address: info@stats.gov.sa
•    Client Support’s e-mail address:  info@stats.gov.sa
•    Official visits to GASTAT’s official head office in Riyadh or one of its branches in Saudi Arabia.
•    Official letters.
•    Statistical telephone (199009).

Frequency of dissemination 

Annual. 

Accessibility and clarity

News release

The announcements of each publication are available on release calendar as mentioned in 7.2. Release calendar access. The news release can be viewed on the website of GASTAT through the following link:
https://www.stats.gov.sa/en/news

Publications

GASTAT issues Maritime Transport Statistics Publication and reports on a regular basis following a pre-prepared release calendar and available on GASTAT’s website. GASTAT is keen to publish its publications in a manner that serves all users of different types, including publications in different formats that contain (publication tables, data graphs, indicators, methodology and quality report, and used questionnaires) in both English and Arabic.
The results of Maritime Transport Statistics publication are available on the link:
 https://www.stats.gov.sa/en/statistics

On-line database

Not applicable.

Micro-data access 

Not available.

Other

Not available.

Documentation on methodology

The definitions and concepts are based on the Glossary for Transport Statistics, a document prepared by the Intersecretariat Working Group of Eurostat, the International Transport Union and the United Nations Commission for Europe, 4th edition, as well as the ESCWA Glossary of Statistical Terms.

Quality documentation

Quality documentation covers documentation on methods and standards for assessing, measuring, and monitoring the quality of statistical process and output. It is based on standard quality criteria such as relevance, accuracy and reliability, timeliness and punctuality, accessibility and clarity, comparability, and coherence.

Quality management

Quality assurance

GASTAT declares that it considers the following principles: impartiality, user orientated, quality of processes and output, effectiveness of statistical processes, reducing the workload for respondents. 
Quality controls and validation of data are actions carried out throughout the process in different stages such as the data input and data collection and other final controls.

Quality assessment

GASTAT performs all statistical activities according to a national model (Generic Statistical Business Process Model – GSBPM). According to the GSBPM, the final phase of statistical activities is overall evaluation using information gathered in each phase or sub-process. This information is used to prepare the evaluation report which outlines all the quality issues related to the specific statistical activity and serves as input for improvement actions.

Relevance 

User needs 

Internal users in the GASTAT for Maritime Transport Statistics Publication data:
•    Statistics of national accounts.
•    Tourism, Hajj, and Umrah Statistics.
•    The statistical book.
•    Price statistics.
Some several external users and beneficiaries greatly benefit from Maritime Transport Statistics Publication data, including:
•    Government entities.
•    Regional and international organizations.
•    Research institutions.
•    Media.
•    Individuals.

The disseminated key variables that mostly used by key users: 

User satisfaction

Not available.

Completeness 

The Maritime Transport Statistics publication data is based on the main source of record data in the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani), the Special Economic Cities and Zones Authority, and NEOM, in order to provide comprehensive information on maritime transportation, and data in complete status.

Accuracy and reliability 

Overall accuracy

•    Data is checked with previous years to identify any significant changes in the data.
•    The internal consistency of the data is checked before it is finalized.
•    The links between variables are checked and coherence between different data series is confirmed.

Timeliness and punctuality 

Timeliness 

GASTAT uses the Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS) issued by the International Monetary Fund. According to this Standard, all statistics agencies are required to publish data on an annual basis, and with a delay of not more than six months (180 days) after the end of the reference period. If the data are from different source, they may be published in a different frequency.

Punctuality

The publication takes place according to the published release dates on the statistical calendar for Maritime Transport Statistics Publication on the website of the General Authority for Statistics.
The data are available at the expected time, as scheduled in the statistical release calendar, If the publication is delayed, reasons shall be provided.

Coherence and comparability

Comparability - geographical

Data are fully comparable.

Comparability - over time 

The data is fully comparable over time.

Coherence- cross domain 

Not applicable. 

Coherence - sub annual and annual statistics 

Not applicable. 

Coherence- National Accounts 

Not applicable. 

Coherence - internal 

The Maritime Transport Statistics data have complete internal consistency.

Data revision

Data revision – policy

Not applicable, only final results will be published.

Data revision – practice

Not applicable, only final results will be published.

Statistical processing

Source data

The data source for the Maritime Transport Statistics Publication is the record data from several entities:
•    Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani).
•    Special Cities and Economic Zones Authority.
•    Neom.
The main published variables from the administrative data source are:
•    Number of passengers.
•    Vessels Traffic.
•    Quantity of cargo.

Frequency of data collection 

Annual.

Data collection

Data collection from administrative records:
In coordination with the relevant departments of the Authority for the data collection department, the data on the Maritime Transport Statistics Publication are obtained from Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani), Special Cities and Economic Zones Authority and NEOM. This data includes information on the number of passengers, cargo quantities, and vessels traffic, as well as statistical data on the maritime transport sector.
The data is stored in the authority's databases after undergoing auditing and review processes following approved statistical methods and recognized quality standards. If errors or discrepancies are discovered, the data is cross-referenced with the data source for correction or clarification.

Data validation

Data are reviewed and matched to ensure their accuracy and precision in a way that suits their nature with the aim of giving the presented statistics quality and accuracy.
The data of the publication's current year are compared with the data of the previous year to ensure their integrity and consistency in preparation for processing data and extracting and reviewing results.
In addition to the data processing and tabulation to check their accuracy, all the outputs are stored and uploaded to the database after being calculated by GASTAT to be reviewed and processed by specialists in Traffic and Transportation Statistics Department through modern technologies and software designed for this purpose.

Data compilation

Data Editing:
Specialists of Traffic and Transportation Statistics Department have processed and analyzed data in this stage, and this step was based on the following measures:
•    Sorting and arranging data in groups or different categories in a serial order.
•    Summarizing detailed data into key points or data.
•    Combining many data segments and ensuring their interconnection.
•    Processing incomplete or missing data.
•    Processing illogical data.
•    Converting data into statistically significant data.
•    Arranging, presenting, and interpreting data.

Adjustment

Not applicable, only final results will be published.