Saudi Arabia

"Khashoggi had made his fortune mainly by collecting agent's commissions from aircraft and arms manufacturers who sold their products to Saudi Arabia. So Khashoggi’s agenda was to sell more Boeing airplanes or missiles to Saudi Arabia. Munk was concerned about the potential repercussions: “If his king or the defence minister of Kuwait or Saudi Arabia leaned on him, and said, I'll give you the contract for this jet or for these missiles, Adnan, but we know you control this big hotel company in Australia because you've got this large position in it, so would you just like to do me a favour and make them put up two hotels here in my country?—SPP could have gone bankrupt with Khashoggi in control. With us in control, he could say, Well, Peter Munk will get us out of the problem. He will build two hotels, sir, to get me the contract.” Munk refused to put himself and SPP in that position."

"Ludwig would never have the bonhomie of Onassis or the polish of Niarchos. He lacked the ability to be witty or make clever small talk. He wasn’t a member of the horsey set, and he had no taste for art. But he was going to have to compete with the Greeks on their turf. He would have to attend white-tie parties, and he would need a yacht as opulent as the Greeks’ on which to entertain Arab sheiks and European oil barons. Maybe he couldn’t make them chuckle the way Onassis and Niarchos could, but at least he wouldn’t look like some hick tankerman from western Michigan. And as long as he got the chance to talk with them face to face, he felt, he could convince them it was worth their while to charter his tankers instead of his rivals’. Over the next decade, D.K. would use the Danginn frequently in this way, cruising the Mediterranean or the Atlantic with a boatload of wealthy guests, usually ones from whom he needed a business favor. For him, the yacht was as much a business craft as any of his tankers, and probably earned him more money than any of them. For example, he hosted Saudi Arabia’s King Ibn Saud in the Persian Gulf as a way of procuring a charter to haul Saudi oil."

"The annual “Hajj pilgrimage” is grand in scale, with tens of thousands of Muslims from around the world flocking to Mecca in Saudi Arabia to participate. During this period, the telecom system operates under heavy load and often experiences interruptions, which is a major headache for Saudi Telecom. In 2006, Saudi Telecom adopted Huawei’s large-capacity, high-processing-capability equipment to achieve stable network operation during the “Hajj pilgrimage” for the first time. In 2007, the number of pilgrims grew even larger. More than three million people gathered in a ten-square-kilometer area for collective pilgrimage, with the total volume of calls increasing by nearly 30% compared to the previous year, peaking at 19 times the usual rate. The frequency of SMS and switching was also extremely high. Huawei’s wireless technology once again demonstrated its capabilities, helping Saudi Arabia smoothly navigate the busy pilgrimage period."

"The meeting place for Arab businessmen in the early '70s was "The Paris of the Middle East," Beirut. The Lebanese trading traditions were an important factor, as was Beirut's role as the financial center of the region. All major banks had an office in the capital of Lebanon. But just as important were Beirut's beaches, the modern hotels, and the bustling nightlife. It acted like a magnet on men from the still orthodox and almost dry countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and partly Turkey."

"The most important contract for the expatriate Lebanese involved shipping four to five million tons of oil from Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia, to Greece. Later, they secured a similar mission, where they were to transport 250,000 tons of oil per month from Saudi Arabia to Syria. Ordinary persuasion was not enough to secure the Syria job, but when a centrally placed contact was presented with a white bulletproof Rolls Royce, the Syrians became more receptive. Thus, the tankers went on shuttle traffic from the Persian Gulf, and money began to flow in. Over the next few years, up to 40 tankers were involved in this oil shipping, and Northern Shipping was the exclusive broker."

"The most important contract for the expatriate Lebanese involved shipping four to five million tons of oil from Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia, to Greece. Later, they secured a similar mission, where they were to transport 250,000 tons of oil per month from Saudi Arabia to Syria. Ordinary persuasion was not enough to secure the Syria job, but when a centrally placed contact was presented with a white bulletproof Rolls Royce, the Syrians became more receptive. Thus, the tankers went on shuttle traffic from the Persian Gulf, and money began to flow in. Over the next few years, up to 40 tankers were involved in this oil shipping, and Northern Shipping was the exclusive broker."

"The most important contract for the expatriate Lebanese involved shipping four to five million tons of oil from Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia, to Greece. Later, they secured a similar mission, where they were to transport 250,000 tons of oil per month from Saudi Arabia to Syria. Ordinary persuasion was not enough to secure the Syria job, but when a centrally placed contact was presented with a white bulletproof Rolls Royce, the Syrians became more receptive. Thus, the tankers went on shuttle traffic from the Persian Gulf, and money began to flow in. Over the next few years, up to 40 tankers were involved in this oil shipping, and Northern Shipping was the exclusive broker."

"During the waiting period, on the night of August 2nd, Saddam Hussein attacked his neighbors in Kuwait, changing the global picture. For shipowners with large tankers, this was a day of terror. Instantly, all of Iraq and Kuwait's oil production was cut off from the world market. That was four million barrels a day, most of which was carried by the world's aged and rust-through tanker fleet. If Saddam crossed the border into Saudi Arabia, he could quickly reach the massive oil fields at Ras Tanura and shut off the taps for another eight million barrels a day. Such prospects were the worst imaginable for tanker owners. The world fleet of roughly 300 large tankers has no mission without the oil flow from the Gulf. No other shipowner in the world would have been more heavily affected than John Fredriksen, with two new supertankers delivered and six more on order. Steel worth over four billion kroner without use."