Indicator: CO-14 Number of ship visits
Data
The following table shows ships visits to Australia by year since 1996. (The number of voyages exceeds the number of ships because the same ship may make more than one voyage.)
| Year | Number of ships entering Australia from overseas b | Number of voyages into Australia from overseas b | Number of ship calls at Australian ports (includes coastal) c |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-1997 | 2 870 | 8 138 | 18 643 |
| 1997-1998 | 3 239 | 9 706 | 20 322 |
| 1998-1999 | 3 187 | 9 744 | 20 899 |
| 1999-2000 | 3 165 | 9 893 | 21 683 |
| 2000-2001 | 3 162 | 9 738 | 21 542 |
| 2001-2002 | 3 103 | 8 779 | 21 358 |
| 2002-2003 | 3 140 | 8 935 | 23 454 |
a. Standard visits, as defined by Lloyd's Marine Information Unit
b. Excludes ships that do not leave the Australian coast
c. Ship calls includes ships coasting around Australia
Note: A ship which sails to Australia 3 times and makes a total of 15 port calls in Australia in a year, counts as 1 ship, 3 voyages and 15 ship calls or visits.
Derived from Source: Lloyd's Marine Information Unit, Lloyd's Voyage Record - Unpublished.
The National Marine Atlas show where the majority of ship visits, both domestic and international, occur. The following maps also provide a range of information on densities of ship visits, by routes and ports.
- Australian Registered Vessel Movements (2002) (PDF - 1255 KB)
- Domestic Coastal Freight Movements - greater than 1 Million tonnes (1999) (PDF - 1248 KB)
- International Registered Vessel Movements (2002) (PDF - 1430 KB)
- Ship Visits per Year (PDF - 1282 KB)
- Shippong Routes and Ports (PDF - 1553 KB)
Source: National Oceans Office 2004, National Marine Atlas, viewed 21 Aug 2006, http://www.oceans.gov.au/Non-fish Atlas.jsp, Maps 38, 39, 40, 44 and 46.
What the data mean
In 2002-2003 the number of international voyages to Australia increased by 1.8 per cent, while ship calls increased by 9.8 per cent. In line with an increase in ship activity, the amount of cargo that moved across Australian wharves increased by 6.2 per cent making 2002-2003 the busiest period yet recorded.
Data Limitations
These data are not environmentally significant in their own right but provide a baseline for tracking changes in the contribution of the ocean as a medium for transportation to human life which may result from either the declining condition of the resource or from societal responses to that decline. It will be useful to track changes in numbers, or rate of increase, of ship visits against future declines and/or improvements in the aspects of the marine environment that are vulnerable to degradation as a result of shipping activity.
Issues for which this is an indicator and why
Coasts and Oceans — Contributions of the coasts and oceans to human life - Medium for transportation
Number of ships visiting Australian ports is a broad and partial indicator of the economic value provided by the ocean as a means of transportation.
Other indicators for this issue:
Key
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