ABSTRACT
My first task in 1970 was to apply again for a Saudi Arabian visa. It was almost impossible to obtain a multiple entry visa. I had even tried through the Ministry of Petroleum and was told multiple entry visas were only given to foreign residents in the Kingdom. So each time I went to the Kingdom I had to repeat the performance of the visa application, but this time they accepted a photostat of my certificate of religion and I did not have to ask Nicolas Rivett-Carnac for a further one. It was always a good idea to allow two weeks lead time between visa application and intended date of departure. I hoped that one day the bureaucracy would speed up, otherwise I could foresee endless complaints from ships' crews who would be confined to the AGRY perimeter fence and not be allowed out of the yard. There was no parallel to AGRY operating in that country. The only large employer of expatriate labour was Aramco. Although personnel without multiple entry visas had to apply each time for a visa, their passports were processed by the Aramco office in San Francisco or New York. Saudi Airlines also employed expatriates, but they were resident in the Kingdom and had multiple entry visas. When the dry dock was built I foresaw that the immigration and drink laws would present difficulties. Imagine ships' crews arriving about 40 at a time every 10 days and being unable to get a drink, even a beer. At this stage I could make no attempt to change the laws of the Kingdom, and waited to see what would evolve. Soon another obstacle appeared, this time connected with religion.
