Definitions, as published
The definition of each term exactly as its official source words it, with the article or page it comes from.
| Term slug | Definition text | Citation |
|---|---|---|
| gantry-crane | Overhead crane comprising a horizontal gantry mounted on legs, which are either fixed or run in fixed tracks or on rubber tyres, with relatively limited manoeuvrability. The load can be moved horizontally, vertically and sideways. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), G.II-14, p. 145 |
| straddle-carrier | Rubber-tyred overhead lifting vehicle for moving or stacking containers on a level reinforced surface. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), G.II-15, p. 146 |
| reach-stacker | Tractor vehicle with front equipment for lifting, stacking or moving ITUs. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), G.II-16, p. 146 |
| forklift-truck | Vehicle equipped with power-driven horizontal forks, which allow it to lift, move or stack pallets, containers or swap bodies. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), G.II-17, p. 146 |
| spreader | Adjustable fitting on lifting equipment designed to connect with the upper corner fittings of an ITU. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), G.II-18, p. 146 |
| multimodal-transport-operator | Entity that concludes a multimodal transport contract and assumes full responsibility for the performance thereof as a carrier or a transport operator. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), G.III-01, p. 146 |
| intermodal-transport-operator | Entity that assumes full responsibility for the transport of intermodal loading units. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), G.III-02, p. 146 |
| freight-forwarder | Intermediary that arranges for the carriage of goods and/or associated services on behalf of a shipper. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), G.III-03, p. 147 |
| carrier | Entity responsible for the carriage of goods, either directly or using a third party. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), G.III-04, p. 147 |
| shipper | Entity that puts goods in the care of others (freight forwarder and/or carrier) to be delivered to a consignee. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), G.III-05, p. 147 |
| tonne-of-oil-equivalent-toe | Normalised unit of energy based on the energy content of one metric tonne (1 000 kg) of crude oil. By convention, it is equivalent to 41.868 gigajoules and serves as a standardised measure for comparing the energy content of different sources. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), H.I-01, p. 149 |
| kilowatt-hour-kwh | Composite unit of energy equivalent to one kilowatt (1 kW) of power sustained for one hour. One watt is equal to 1 J/s. One kilowatt-hour is 3.6 megajoules, which is the amount of energy converted if work is done at an average rate of 1 000 watts for one hour. ## H.II. Energy sources | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), H.I-02, p. 149 |
| liquefied-petroleum-gas-lpg | Light paraffinic hydrocarbon derived from refinery processes, crude oil stabilisation and natural gas processing plants. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), H.II-01, p. 149 |
| motor-gasoline | Mixture of light hydrocarbons distilling between 35 °C and 215 °C. It is used as a fuel for land-based spark-ignition engines. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), H.II-02, p. 149 |
| aviation-gasoline | Motor spirit prepared specially for aviation piston engines, with an octane number suited to the engine, a freezing point of – 60 °C and a distillation range usually within the limits of 30 °C and 180 °C. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), H.II-03, p. 150 |
| gasoline-type-jet-fuel | All light hydrocarbon oils for use in aviation turbine power units, distilled at between 100 °C and 250 °C. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), H.II-04, p. 150 |
| kerosene-type-jet-fuel | Distillate used for aviation turbine power units. It has the same distillation characteristics at between 150 °C and 300 °C (generally not above 250 °C) and flash point as kerosene. In addition, it has specifications (such as freezing point) that are established by IATA. It includes kerosene blending components. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), H.II-05, p. 150 |
| other-kerosene | Refined petroleum distillate used in sectors other than aircraft transport. It typically distils between 150 °C and 300 °C. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), H.II-06, p. 150 |
| gas-diesel-oil | Refined petroleum product designed to match the requirements of diesel engines, in road vehicles, rail and marine transport. It is the lightest of gas and fuel oils, which distils between 180 °C and 380 °C. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), H.II-07, p. 150 |
| heavy-fuel-oil-residual | Distillation residue from crude oil refining. It includes all residual fuel oils, including those obtained by blending. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), H.II-08, p. 150 |
| biogas | Gas composed principally of methane and carbon dioxide produced by anaerobic digestion of biomass or by thermal processes from biomass, including biomass in waste. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), H.II-09, p. 150 |
| biomethane | Near-pure source of methane produced either by ‘upgrading’ biogas (see H.II-09) (a process that removes any carbon dioxide and other contaminants present in the biogas) or through the gasification of solid biomass followed by methanation. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), H.II-09.1, p. 151 |
| biogasoline | Liquid fuel of natural origin (e.g. derived from biomass or the biodegradable fraction of waste) suitable for blending with or replacing fossil-based motor gasoline. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), H.II-10, p. 151 |
| biodiesel | Liquid fuel of natural origin (e.g. derived from biomass or the biodegradable fraction of waste) suitable for blending with or replacing fossil-based gas/diesel oil. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), H.II-11, p. 151 |
| bio-jet-kerosene | Liquid biofuel suitable to be blended with or to replace jet kerosene from fossil origin. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), H.II-12, p. 151 |
| other-liquid-biofuels | Liquid biofuels used directly as fuel not covered by the definitions of biogasoline, biodiesel or bio jet kerosene, including those whose consumption cannot be reported to a specific category due to missing information. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), H.II-13, p. 151 |
| electrical-energy | All types of electricity generated in various power plants (e.g. nuclear, thermal, hydro, wind, photovoltaic or other plants) distributed to consumers through the grid or consumed locally. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), H.II-14, p. 151 |
| natural-gas | Gas found in underground deposits, whether in liquefied or gaseous form, consisting mainly of methane. It includes ‘non-associated’ gas originating from fields producing only gaseous hydrocarbons and ‘associated’ gas produced alongside crude oil. Additionally, it covers methane recovered from coal mines (coal mine methane and coalbed methane). Natural gas can be used in transport, either in compressed (CNG) or liquefied (LNG) form in spark-ignited internal combustion engines. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), H.II-15, p. 151 |
| hydrogen | Chemical element with high energy content that can be produced from various sources, such as hydrocarbons or water, through different methods (e.g. methane steam reforming from fossil sources or water electrolysis). For transport purposes, it can be used to produce electricity through a fuel cell, or via direct combustion. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), H.II-16, p. 151 |
| ammonia | A compound of nitrogen and hydrogen (NH3) that is an industrially produced input to much of the world’s fertiliser manufacture, resulting in substantial carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the use of fossil fuel inputs to generate the input hydrogen. With properties similar to LPG, ammonia can also be used directly as a fuel in direct combustion processes and in fuel cells, and can be ‘cracked’ to release its hydrogen content. As it can be made from low-emissions hydrogen, ammonia has the potential to be a low-emissions fuel if the production process (including nitrogen separation) is powered by low-emissions energy. Produced in such a way, ammonia is considered a low-emissions hydrogen-based liquid fuel. ## H.III. Energy consumption by the transport sector | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), H.II-17, p. 152 |
| energy-consumption-by-rail-transport | Energy quantities used for rail transport, including industrial railways and urban or suburban rail transport systems. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), H.III-01, p. 152 |
| energy-consumption-by-road-transport | Energy quantities used by road vehicles for the propulsion of such vehicles. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), H.III-02, p. 152 |
| energy-consumption-by-domestic-navigation | Energy quantities delivered to vessels transporting goods or passengers by domestic navigation. Domestic navigation necessitates that the ports of departure and destination are within the same national territory, without intermediate stops in foreign ports. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), H.III-03, p. 152 |
| energy-consumption-by-pipeline-transport | Energy quantities used to support and operate pipelines transporting gases, liquids, slurries and other commodities between points within the national territory. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), H.III-04, p. 152 |
| energy-consumption-by-international-marine-bunkers | Quantities of fuels delivered to ships of all flags that are engaged in international navigation. International navigation is defined as that in which the ports of departure and arrival are in different national territories. International navigation may take place at sea, on inland lakes and waterways and in coastal waters. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), H.III-05, p. 153 |
| energy-consumption-by-air-transport | Energy quantities used by international aviation bunkers and domestic aviation. International aviation bunkers consumption refers to energy quantities delivered to civil aircraft of any nationality for consumption during international flights transporting goods or passengers. An international flight is defined as one where the airports of departure and arrival are in different national territories. Domestic aviation consumption refers to energy quantities delivered to all civil aircraft undertaking domestic flights transporting passengers or goods, or for purposes such as crop spraying or the bench-testing of aero engines. A domestic flight is defined as one in which the airports of departure and landing are within the same national territory. Flights between distant islands that are part of the national territory, even if passing through the airspace of other countries, are considered domestic aviation. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), H.III-06, p. 153 |
| energy-consumption-by-transport-not-elsewhere-specified | Energy consumption by transport activities not listed in other categories. ## I.I. Greenhouse gas emissions | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), H.III-07, p. 153 |
| greenhouse-gas-ghg | Gaseous constituents of the atmosphere, both natural and anthropogenic, that absorb and emit radiation at specific wavelengths within the spectrum of terrestrial radiation emitted by the Earth’s surface, the atmosphere and clouds ( ³ ). For transport-related emissions, the primary GHGs considered are: ʱ carbon dioxide (CO2); ʱ methane (CH4); ʱ nitrous oxide (N2O). | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), I.I-01, p. 155 |
| well-to-wheel-wtw-ghg-emissions-4 | Emissions representing the GHG impact from both vehicle use and vehicle energy provision. WTW emissions can be divided into well-to-tank emissions and tank-to-wheel emissions. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), I.I-02, p. 155 |
| well-to-tank-wtt-ghg-emissions | Emissions generated from the production and transport of fuel (or other energy sources such as electricity) for use in transport vehicles. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), I.I-03, p. 155 |
| tank-to-wheel-ttw-ghg-emissions-5 | Vehicle-propulsion-related emissions from energy use. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), I.I-04, p. 155 |
| life-cycle-assessment-lca | Compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs and the potential environmental impacts of a product system throughout its life cycle. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), I.I-05, p. 155 |
| emission-factor | Coefficient that quantifies the emissions or removals of a gas per unit of activity. ( ³ ) https://www.ipcc.ch/help/frequently-asked-questions/ ( ⁴ ) Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the accounting of greenhouse gas emissions of transport services, COM(2023) 441 final of 11 July 2023, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52023PC0441. ( ⁵ ) See footnote 4. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), I.I-06, p. 155 |
| fuel-combustion | Intentional oxidation of materials within an apparatus that is designed to provide heat or mechanical work to a process, or for use away from the apparatus. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), I.I-07, p. 156 |
| mobile-combustion | Combustion of fuel in mobile sources, such as road vehicles, off-road transport equipment, aircraft, trains and vessels. ## I.II. Air pollutant emissions Air pollutant emissions refer to the discharge of pollutants into the atmosphere from stationary and mobile sources. In the context of transport, mobile sources include road vehicles, rail locomotives, aircraft and vessels, which emit pollutants primarily through mobile combustion and non-exhaust processes, such as tyre, brake and road surface wear. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), I.I-07.1, p. 156 |
| air-pollutant | Substance in air that could, at high enough concentrations, harm humans, animals, vegetation or material. The key air pollutants emitted by transport are outlined in I.II-02. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), I.II-01, p. 156 |
| emissions-of-co-nox-nmvocs-pm10-pm2-5-and-sox | Carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), particulate matter (PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅) and sulphur oxides (SOx) can be grouped into the following categories: ʱ acidifying substances: NOx, SOx; ʱ particulates: PM10 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter of 10 μm or less), PM2.5 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 μm or less); ʱ ozone precursors: NOx, NMVOCs, CO. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), I.II-02, p. 156 |
| transport-emission-standards | Maximum amount of discharge that is legally permitted from a mobile source, such as road vehicles, rail locomotives, aircraft and vessels. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), I.II-03, p. 156 |
| euro-emissions-standards | Set of emission limits for new vehicles established through European Union directives, which define the maximum allowable exhaust emissions of CO, NOx, PM and hydrocarbons. Each level (Euro 1, Euro 2, etc.) corresponds to a specific EU directive and introduces progressively stricter limits. The standards apply to various categories of vehicles, including passenger cars, vans and heavy-duty vehicles. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), I.II-03.1, p. 156 |
| low-emission-zone-lez | Contiguous zone that restricts the use of polluting vehicles. | Glossary for transport statistics, 6th edition (2026), I.II-04, p. 157 |
Sources
- Glossary for Transport Statistics — 6th edition (2026) — Eurostat, UNECE ve ITF-OECD · Reusable with attribution
- UNCTADstat maritime/transport metadata — UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) / UNCTADstat · Reusable with attribution
- IMO conventions and maritime definitions — official definition clauses and terminology pages — International Maritime Organization (IMO) · Reusable with attribution
- U.S. federal air cargo/security definitions associated with ICAO scope — International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO); auxiliary U.S. federal regulatory sources · Public domain
- United States federal transport and customs definitions — GPO / Office of Federal Register / PHMSA-DOT / FMCSA-DOT / FMC / CBP-DHS / U.S. Congress · Public domain
- European Union transport and customs definitions — European Parliament and Council instruments; Publications Office of the EU / EUR-Lex · Reusable with attribution
- Hague–Visby Article I via UK legislation.gov.uk — UN Treaty Collection/UN, UNCITRAL, UNECE, ICAO, OTIF ve UK legislation.gov.uk · Reusable with attribution
- BTS/FMCSA/FMC/CBP/MARAD federal-authored glossary rows — BTS; FMCSA; FMC; CBP; MARAD · Public domain
- United Kingdom official transport and customs terms — HMRC; Department for Transport; Traffic Commissioners/DVSA; UK Parliament/legislation.gov.uk · Reusable with attribution
1,049 further records are on file but not shown, because the publisher's terms do not clearly allow them to be republished.