Page 283 - UAE Truncal States_Neat
P. 283

Chapter Seven

                 for domestic affairs of the City Stale of Dubai to his son, Rashid. The
                 latter had the reputation of being a good fighter, and on more than
                 one occasion he had swiftly retrieved stolen camels or caught up with
                 runaway bandits. Shaikh Rashid bin SaTd seems to have sym­
                 pathised with a great many of the reform movement’s proposals for
                 the improvement of the Stale, although he was politically opposed to
                 its leaders. Shaikh Rashid bin SaTd became Ruler in 1958, and when
                 funds became available to improve conditions in the shaikhdom he
                 initialed changes which had much in common with those proposed
                 in 1938.


                 3 Development of a modern infrastructure
                      in Dubai


                 First step: improving the creek
                 At the beginning of the 1950s it became obvious that the activity of
                 Petroleum Development (Trucial Coast), which held the concession to
                 explore for oil in all the Trucial States and Oman, was about to
                 increase substantially. Even if no oil was found, exploration still
                 necessitated the import of large amounts of heavy equipment, of food
                 and other requirements for all the employees of the company.35
                 Whichever port on the Trucial Coast offered the best facilities for
                 handling these imports and for accommodating the new services was
                 bound to be able to develop local business in the wake of the
                 activities of the oil company. These opportunities were pointed out to
                 several of the Trucial Rulers, but Shaikh SaTd bin Maktum, together
                 with his son Rashid, were more ready than the others to take
                 advantage of the developing situation.
                   Thus the old idea of improving the port facilities was revived. In
                 1954 a British firm of consultants working in Kuwait, Sir William
                 Halcrow and Partners, was asked to advise on whether and how the
                 silled-up entrance of Dubai creek could be deepened. “Creek Bonds”,
                                                                                    I
                 which the Ruler asked the various merchants to buy, provided the
                 money for a survey to investigate the sea bed. With the help of some
                 British Government officials resident in Kuwait, a loan of half a
                 million pounds sterling was arranged, to pay for an Austrian
                 company, Overseas Ast Co. Ltd., to dredge the creek between the end
                 of 1958 and June 1959. The improved creek offered sheltered
                anchorage for local craft and coastal steamers up to about 500 tons.

                258




                                                                                   *
   278   279   280   281   282   283   284   285   286   287   288