Estimation Method for International Seaborne Freight Flows Using Trade Statistics by Customs

Abstract

 Statistics on maritime freight flows are necessary for the effective planning of ports and for the analysis of ship scheduling. In Asia, however, there are no organizations that compile comprehensive statistical data on maritime freight flows. This study proposes a method to estimate maritime freight flows on a port-to-country basis. This estimation method is based on each custom’s trade statistics. The author calculated maritime freight flows for Japan, Korea and China by applying this estimation method, and validated the estimation method by comparing the results of estimations and existing statistics.