Market Analysis
This one only really exists inside a port terminal concession — it isn't a general-purpose license you'd take out to compete freely. DP World operates Jebel Ali (Dubai) and Abu Dhabi Ports runs Khalifa Port; container loading/unloading equipment (gantry cranes, yard tractors) is operated either directly by the port operator or by their licensed stevedoring/terminal-handling concessionaires, not by an independent DED licensee setting up shop.
The AED 1,500-2,000 government fee range that shows up in DED fee calculators for this activity code reflects the professional-services license component only — it says nothing about the actual capital cost of entry, which is a port concession or subcontract relationship, not a walk-in license application.
Jebel Ali remains the UAE's dominant container gateway by volume; Abu Dhabi's Khalifa Port has grown share but still trails Dubai substantially in TEU throughput. Sharjah's Khorfakkan and Hamriyah ports handle meaningful transshipment volume but are a different scale entirely.
100% foreign ownership applies to the license itself, but practically speaking this activity is gated by the port operator's own commercial terms, not DED rules. Anyone evaluating this activity code should talk to DP World or Abu Dhabi Ports directly before treating the license fee as the real cost of entry.