Other Support Activities for Water Transportation
Description
This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in providing services to water transportation (except port and harbor operations; marine cargo handling services; and navigational services to shipping). Illustrative Examples: Floating drydocks (i.e., routine repair and maintenance of ships) Ship scaling services Marine cargo checkers and surveyors
Hierarchy
| Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 48 | Transportation and Warehousing 2-digit sector | The Sector as a Whole The Transportation and Warehousing sector includes industries providing transportation of passengers and cargo, warehousing and storage for goods, scenic and sightseeing transportation, and support activities related to modes of transportation. Establishments in these industries use transportation equipment or transportation-related facilities as a productive asset. The type of equipment depends on the mode of transportation. The modes of transportation are air, rail, water, road, and pipeline. The Transportation and Warehousing sector distinguishes three basic types of activities: subsectors for each mode of transportation, a subsector for warehousing and storage, and a subsector for establishments providing support activities for transportation. In addition, there are subsectors for establishments that provide passenger transportation for scenic and sightseeing purposes, postal services, and courier services. A separate subsector for support activities is established in the sector because, first, support activities for transportation are inherently multimodal, such as freight transportation arrangement, or have multimodal aspects. Secondly, there are production process similarities among the support activity industries. One of the support activities identified in the Support Activities for Transportation subsector is the routine repair and maintenance of transportation equipment (e.g., aircraft at an airport, railroad rolling stock at a railroad terminal, or ships at a harbor or port facility). Such establishments do not perform complete overhauling or rebuilding of transportation equipment (i.e., periodic restoration of transportation equipment to original design specifications) or transportation equipment conversion (i.e., major modification to systems). An establishment that primarily performs factory (or shipyard) overhauls, rebuilding, or conversions of aircraft, railroad rolling stock, or ships is classified in Subsector 336, Transportation Equipment Manufacturing, according to the type of equipment. Many of the establishments in this sector often operate on networks, with physical facilities, labor forces, and equipment spread over an extensive geographic area. Warehousing establishments in this sector are distinguished from merchant wholesaling in that the warehouse establishments do not sell the goods. Excluded from this sector are establishments primarily engaged in providing travel agent, travel arrangement, and reservation services that support transportation establishments, hotels, other businesses, and government agencies. These establishments are classified in Sector 56, Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services. Establishments primarily engaged in providing rental and leasing of transportation equipment without operator are classified in Subsector 532, Rental and Leasing Services. Establishments primarily engaged in providing medical care with transportation are classified in Sector 62, Health Care and Social Assistance. |
| 488 | Support Activities for Transportation 3-digit subsector | Industries in the Support Activities for Transportation subsector provide services which support transportation. These services may be provided to transportation carrier establishments or to the general public. This subsector includes a wide array of establishments, including air traffic control services, marine cargo handling, and motor vehicle towing. The Support Activities for Transportation subsector includes services to transportation, separated by type of mode serviced. The Support Activities for Rail Transportation industry includes services to the rail industry (e.g., railroad switching and terminal establishments). Ship repair and maintenance services not done in a shipyard are included in the Other Support Activities for Water Transportation industry. An example would be floating drydock services in a harbor. Excluded from this subsector are establishments primarily engaged in providing factory conversion and overhaul of transportation equipment, which are classified in Subsector 336, Transportation Equipment Manufacturing. Establishments primarily engaged in providing rental and leasing of transportation equipment without operator are classified in Subsector 532, Rental and Leasing Services. Also, establishments primarily engaged in providing travel arrangement and reservation services are classified in Industry Group 5615, Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services. |
| 4883 | Support Activities for Water Transportation 4-digit industry group | This industry group comprises establishments primarily engaged in one of the following: (1) operating ports, harbors (including docking and pier facilities), or canals; (2) providing stevedoring and other marine cargo handling services (except warehousing); (3) providing navigational services to shipping; or (4) providing other services to water transportation. |
| 48839 | Other Support Activities for Water Transportation 5-digit NAICS industry | See industry description for 488390. |
| 488390 | Other Support Activities for Water Transportation 6-digit U.S. detail | This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in providing services to water transportation (except port and harbor operations; marine cargo handling services; and navigational services to shipping). Illustrative Examples: Floating drydocks (i.e., routine repair and maintenance of ships) Ship scaling services Marine cargo checkers and surveyors |
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Classification References
- 01Ship painting--are classified in Industry 238320, Painting and Wall Covering Contractors;
- 02Providing ship janitorial services--are classified in Industry 561720, Janitorial Services;
- 03Operating port, harbor, or canal facilities--are classified in Industry 488310, Port and Harbor Operations;
- 04Providing dredging services--are classified in Industry 237990, Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction;
- 05Providing stevedoring and other marine cargo handling services (except warehousing)--are classified in Industry 488320, Marine Cargo Handling;
- 06Providing navigational services to shipping--are classified in Industry 488330, Navigational Services to Shipping;
- 07Providing ship overhauling or repairs in a shipyard--are classified in U.S. Industry 336611, Ship Building and Repairing; and
- 08Providing towing services on inland waters--are classified in U.S. Industry 483211, Inland Water Freight Transportation.
Index Items
Cargo checkers, marine
Cargo surveyors, marine
Drydocks, floating (i.e., routine repair and maintenance of ships)
Marine cargo checkers and surveyors
Ship dismantling at floating drydock
Ship scaling services not done at a shipyard
How Item Can Help
Water Transport Warehouse Management Systems enable dockless logistics by automating container tracking and inventory accuracy without requiring physical warehouse facilities, reducing idle time and operational costs for vessels.
Order Management Systems provide real-time visibility for perishable or time-sensitive cargo by optimizing route sequences and dynamic pricing strategies, ensuring timely delivery to port authorities and customers.
Transportation Management Systems streamline vessel scheduling and port coordination through predictive analytics, minimizing delays caused by weather conditions and congestion to improve asset utilization.
External Resources
Census.gov NAICS Detail
Official US Census Bureau definition and scope for NAICS 488390.
National Association of Private Boat Operators
Primary trade association for private recreational and charter boaters in the United States.
U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Maritime
Official government portal covering maritime safety, regulations, and maritime industry news.
Boat International Magazine
Leading industry directory and publisher specializing in boat design, manufacturing, and marketing.
