The Statistical Service announces that it has published the annual report "Transport Statistics" for the year 2000.

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 2000 were as follows:

(a) The broad Transport, Storage and Communication sector showed further expansion in 2000. 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 5,5% in 2000 compared to the 10,8% increase in 1999.

(b) Motor vehicles newly registered during 2000 decreased by 5,3% to 32.165 from 33.973 in 1999. Private saloon cars newly registered decreased by 6,5% to 17.729 from 18.966 in 1999.

The total number of vehicles on the Register of the Department of Road Transport at the end of 2000 totalled 510.974 of which 294.221 were private saloon cars.

(c) The number of road accidents reported to the police decreased to 3.976 in 2000 compared to 4.203 in 1999. Human casualties in road accidents were 111 persons killed and 3.586 persons injured in 2000 as against 113 dead and 3.712 injured in 1999.

(d) During 2000, 5.289 vessels arrived at the various ports of Cyprus compared to 4.858 in 1999. Of these 4.175 or 78,9% arrived at Limassol port, 888 or 16,8% called at Larnaca port and 226 ships at other ports.

At the end of 2000, 2.669 ships were on the Cyprus Register (with a total of 27.994.301 gross registered tonnage) as against 2.686 ships in 1999 and 1.487 in 1985.

(e) Civil aircraft landings increased during 2000 and totalled 26.540 compared to 24.860 in 1999. Passenger arrivals through airports increased to 3.066.077 in 2000 compared to 2.776.360 in 1999.