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"25/03/2014 Eurostat replies to Italian ports’ attack"

Ferrandino (Assoporti) illustrates how the statistical criteria used are different.
A recent dispute burst out on the Italian- Brussels lane regarding statistic data published by Eurostat (EU Commission for statistics) on freights handled in European ports in 2012. Overall 3.7 billion tons were handled, recording 1% drop versus 2011. According to Eurostat, two years ago Italy handled overall 476.8 million tons freights (-4.6% versus former year). However Assoporti didn't appreciate the map listing the 'top 10' European ports without mentioning a single Italian port; only Messina was listed for freight trades in the Strait.

Although Italy is acknowledged with top ranking volumes (476.8 million tons), Eurostat pinpoints one of the largest drop between 2011 and 2012 (-23 million tons) focusing on an excessive fragmentation of ports.
Assoporti immediately countered the report, "Eurostat maps have no economic sense, particularly for a country like Italy, actually standing in the third European ranking in terms of sea trade" reports Pasqualino Monti.
"We should once and forever ask the reason for such fragmentation. Maybe because our country's structure is rather different from France or Germany, maybe because unlike France, Germany or Spain, industrial production in Italy is spread on hundreds of sites, often hardly approachable by road".
Monti suggested to take statistical advice to heart in order to confirm that without a single helm, talking about non-competitive ports is absolutely ridiculous.
Meanwhile former President of Assoporti, Luigi Merlo, protects his port:
"I'd like to know how much it cost and who pays for a study which is so dramatically wrong. Let's think about Genoa port that in 2012 attained its record breaking containers handling figures exceeding 2 millions, while only 1 million and 500, 000 were mentioned. Considering such resounding mistake, how could this data be reliable?".
However Eurostat press office reported that "Eurostat figures on port trades are collected by Istat according to legislation 2009/42. There are substantial differences between data disclosed by Port Authorities and those collected by legislation: in essence gross weight (tare shouldn't be included) and the number of TEU (containers discharged from ro-ro units shouldn't be encompassed in TEUS but in rolling cargoes).
Port Authority's figures could include in TEUs final data both containers discharged with lo-lo method and those discharged with ro-ro system. Moreover Eurostat pinpoints they've attempted to contact Genoa Port Authority statistic office since last year in order to clarify these discrepancies. As a matter of fact comparing Assoporti's figures (issued by Port Authority) and Istat statistics (merging data issued by Customs offices, terminal operators, Harbour Master and Port Authority) substantial discrepancies can be highlighted.
According to Istat, in 2012 Genoa handled overall 42.4 million tons while according to Assoporti it exceeded 50.2 millions. The same occurs for Augusta (Istat: 24.8 million tons, Assoporti 29.9), Leghorn (27.4 versus 20.5), Cagliari (35.4 versus 12.5), Naples (20 versus 12.7), Trieste (49.2 millions versus 42.1) and so on. Evident discrepancies were also reported in the so called 'Pinocchio' ranking.

Source: Ship2Shore - Nicola Capuzzo