Dubai Maritime Authority (DMA) directive 1

Dubai Maritime Authority Directive No. 1 on Transparency of Local Sea Container Charges in Dubai

Dear valued partners,

On behalf of the Dubai Maritime Authority (DMA), the government authority charged with regulating, coordinating, and supervising all aspects of Dubai's maritime sector, I would like to thank you for your cooperation with us over the past month, as we transition to our new mandate, following the introduction of Law No. 3 of 2023.

We appreciate all of your contributions and feedback to the activities and workshops we organised under our Stakeholders Engagement Programme, and we have taken the valuable insight you have shared with us in the survey into close consideration.

With that in mind, we are happy to be introducing the Dubai Maritime Authority Directive No. 1 on Transparency of Local Sea Container Charges in Dubai today, which aims to provide us with a clear data-led understanding of local sea container charges and associated practices. The directive is in line with the highest international standards and is based on a study conducted by DMA to determine international best practices; it forms part of the Authority’s efforts to enhance transparency and agility, in addition to ensuring attractiveness and ease of doing business.

Under the new Directive, Service Providers in the Emirate of Dubai are required to provide details of all their local Sea Container Charges, alongside associated Sea Container Charge terminology. This applies to all Service Providers who, at the Effective Date of the Directive (1May 2023), are already licensed by the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, special development zones, and free zones within the Emirate, including DIFC.

Sea Container Charges should be uploaded via Dubai Trade Single Window portal within 30 days from the Effective Date, through the following link: https://www.dubaitrade.ae/en/

Business will continue as usual, and you are free to continue charging your existing rates to your respective customers while the DMA undertakes a full analysis of the data provided. However, you will not be able to directly or indirectly increase or decrease your Existing Sea Container Charges, which will remain frozen with effect from the date of this circular (1 May 2023) and until further notice by the Authority.

As custodians of the emirate’s world-renowned maritime industry, we urge you to join hands with us in implementing the new Directive so we can gain greater understanding, transparency, and cost-visibility regarding local sea container charges.

Thank you in advance for your compliance and I look forward to working with you over the coming years to further strengthen our sector.

Yours sincerely,

Saeed bin Ahmed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum

Executive Director

Dubai Maritime Authority

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