The Statistical Service announces that it has published the annual report "Transport Statistics" for the year 1999.

The report provides detailed information on the economic developments of the broad Transport, Storage and Communication Sector as well as data on the registration of motor vehicles by type and category, road accidents and shipping and aviation activities.

The main developments during 1999 were as follows:

(a) The broad Transport, Storage and Communication sector showed further expansion in 1999. This was the result of increased activity in certain subsectors, particularly the communications, the air and water transport and the services allied to transport.

The value added of the sector in real terms increased by 3,4% in 1999 compared to the 8,7% increase in 1998.

(b) Motor vehicles newly registered during 1999 decreased by 12,4% to 33.973 from 38.798 in 1998. Private saloon cars newly registered decreased by 19,0% to 18.966 from 23.403 in 1998.

The total number of vehicles on the Register of the Department of Road Transport at the end of 1999 totalled 500.906 of which 286.195 were private saloon cars.

(c) The number of road accidents reported to the police decreased to 4.203 in 1999 compared to 4.720 in 1998. Human casualties in road accidents were 113 persons killed and 3.712 persons injured in 1999 as against 111 dead and 3.916 injured in 1998.

(d) During 1999, 4.858 vessels arrived at the various ports of Cyprus compared to 4.476 in 1998. Of these 3.879 or 79,8% arrived at Limassol port, 778 or 16,0% called at Larnaca port and 201ships at other ports.

At the end of 1999, 2.686 ships were on the Cyprus Register (with a total of 26.791.482 gross registered tonnage) as against 2.673 ships in 1998 and 1.487 in 1985.

(e) Civil aircraft landings increased during 1999 and totalled 24.860 compared to 23.590 in 1998. Passenger arrivals through airports increased to 2.776.360 in 1999 compared to 2.547.860 in 1998.

2. The report is available for sale by the Government Printing Office, at C£8,00 per copy.