How do you read a code for water transport in ISIC Rev. 5?

Reading a code for water transport in ISIC Rev. 5, published by the UN Statistics Division, starts with Section H for transportation and storage, then narrows to water transport, then to sea and coastal versus inland, then to passenger versus freight, and finally to the specific water transport activity. Each step answers a narrower question about mode, water type and cargo, so a reader can see from the code alone whether the description is about people or goods and about sea or inland water. This guide explains reading logic only and does not assign a code to any reader, vessel or operator.

What five questions does a water transport code answer in order?

Reading a code for water transport in ISIC Rev. 5, published by the UN Statistics Division, works as a narrowing sequence. Start with Section H for transportation and storage, then narrow to water transport, then to sea and coastal versus inland, then to passenger versus freight, and finally to the specific water transport activity. Each step answers a narrower question about mode, water type and cargo, so a reader can see from the code alone whether the description is about people or goods and about sea or inland water.

The following kinds of work are described in ISIC Rev. 5, published by the UN Statistics Division, as part of this grouping:

• Section H as the transportation and storage field
• Division level for water transport
• Group level for sea and coastal versus inland water
• Class level for passenger versus freight water transport
• National extensions where a country adds further detail

That list is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the full class description. For reading a code for water transport, the heading fitting loosely but the detail not fitting means the Rev. 5 publication detail prevails, with the national institute consulted for a formal record.

How does the sequence work on a register entry for a ferry firm?

Suppose a register lists a ferry firm under a Section H code. Reading it means checking the section, then the water division, then whether the group describes sea and coastal or inland water, and then whether the class describes passenger transport. If the class describes support or freight instead, the code should be queried with the holder of the record.

Work through the ferry case slowly, because each level catches a different kind of error. The section check catches a code that belongs to another field entirely, such as manufacturing or construction. The division check catches a code for land or air transport that happens to sit in the same section. The group check catches a sea ferry coded as inland, or a river service coded as coastal. The class check catches the subtlest error of all: a passenger ferry coded as freight, or a support service coded as transport.

A second ferry example shows why the order matters. A river ferry carrying commuters across a city river and a sea ferry carrying holidaymakers across a strait both carry passengers by water, and both start at Section H. They part at the group level, where inland water separates from sea and coastal water.

Where do port work and ticket arranging break the sequence?

A port operator and a ferry operator can both be linked to water, yet their codes sit in different places because one supports water transport and the other performs it. Reading only the section letter would miss that difference, which is why each level of the code must be checked in turn. The port operator’s work belongs with support activities: berths, quays, cargo handling facilities, and harbour services that let vessels arrive, load, and depart. The ferry operator’s work belongs with water transport itself: operating a vessel that carries passengers or goods on a voyage.

Ticket arranging breaks the sequence in a different way. A firm that sells ferry tickets without operating any vessel is not a water transport operator at all, even if every ticket it sells is for a water crossing. Its work is arranging, and arranging is described apart from operating.## How does this water example sit inside the wider Rev. 5 tree?

The revision contains 22 sections from A to V, 87 divisions, 258 groups and 463 classes, and each grouping sits inside that tree. A broad section tells you the field, while the levels below it tell you the market, the service type and the precise activity.

National extensions sit below the class level, where a country adds further detail for its own statistical needs. A national code may therefore be longer than the international code, with extra digits that refine a water transport class for local reporting. Those extra digits leave the international description unchanged.

Use this reading sequence as a way to understand a code, not as a way to assign one. It explains reading logic only, and it does not determine any reader’s code, principal activity, or registration, nor does it assign a code to any vessel or operator. For a formal entry, confirm the code with the national statistical institute or business register that holds the record.