Imports and Exports

Imports and exports are the energy-statistics application of the general trade system used in international merchandise trade statistics: all energy products entering and leaving the national territory that add to or are subtracted from the country’s stock of material resources are recorded as imports or exports, except for the bunkering of the international fleet, which is excluded from trade figures entirely [IRES, Ch. V, para. 5.13, PDF p. 70, 2018, citing International Merchandise Trade Statistics: Concepts and Definitions 2010, United Nations (2010)]. In energy balances specifically, imports and exports also exclude nuclear fuels, which fall outside the scope of energy balances [IRES, Ch. V, para. 5.13, PDF p. 70, 2018].

Note that this general-trade-system convention differs from the one used in national accounts, where exports and imports are defined as transactions between residents and non-residents; compilers of energy accounts must adjust basic energy statistics accordingly before use [IRES, Ch. V, para. 5.13, footnote 42, PDF p. 70, 2018].

Imports

Imports of energy products comprise all fuel and other energy products entering the national territory. Goods simply being transported through a country (goods in transit) and goods temporarily admitted are excluded, while re-imports (domestic goods exported but subsequently readmitted) are included. Bunkering of fuel outside the reference territory by national merchant ships and civil aircraft engaged in international travel is also excluded from imports — see International Bunkers [IRES, Ch. V, para. 5.11, PDF p. 70, 2018]. The country of origin should be recorded, where possible, as the country from which goods were imported, not a transit country [IRES, Ch. V, para. 5.11, PDF p. 70, 2018].

Exports

Exports of energy products comprise all fuel and other energy products leaving the national territory. Goods simply being transported through a country (goods in transit) and goods temporarily withdrawn are excluded, while re-exports (foreign goods exported in the same state as previously imported) are included. Also excluded are quantities of fuels delivered for use by merchant ships (including passenger ships) and civil aircraft of all nationalities during international transport of goods and passengers — see International Bunkers [IRES, Ch. V, para. 5.12, PDF p. 70, 2018]. The country of destination — the country of last known destination at the time of exportation — should be recorded as the destination, not a transit country [IRES, Ch. V, para. 5.12, PDF p. 70, 2018].

Related

• IRES Chapter V — Energy Flows — the chapter digest this page supports
• International Bunkers — fuel deliveries to international shipping/aviation, excluded from both imports and exports
• Production — the other route by which energy products first appear in the territory of reference
• Stock Changes — stocks that imports/exports/production are drawn from or added to